Calm Amidst Chaos

Today was a huge success! I got to teach family power yoga at Earth's Power Yoga this afternoon. It was the first yoga class I've taught in a studio....a nice upgrade from the park or the living room. Woohoo!

It was a huge honor for the owner of the studio to ask me if I would be interested in teaching this cutting edge class on a trial basis. Unlike a typical baby and me class, this is a regular power yoga class where parents can bring their children of all ages. And who better to teach a vigorous vinyasa flow class of mommies, than a super active yogi mommy!

This was one of the best play dates for all the little ones. It was so cute to see the older ones turning cartwheels around their parents' yoga mats while the younger ones stared in awe. The unpredictable nature of a child is what makes it so exciting and a little scary for me as a teacher. But as I looked around at the kids in today's class, it reminded me to approach life with more curiosity and less fear.

At one point I looked up and saw every single toddler and older child (including Max) lined up in the window sill looking outside at the cars on Melrose. It was a beautiful sight to see the little ones exerting their independence while the adults flowed through a series of warriors. I love it that baby Max doesn't realize he's any younger or smaller than the big kids and runs around with them like they've been friends forever.

Having the ability to multitask taking care of my assimilating toddler while directing the flow of a yoga class is definitely a challenge. But I started thinking about it, and isn't that what parenting is all about. Day and night we are flowing through situations with breaks for hugs, diaper changes, shenanigans, and feedings. So why should a yoga class be any different. As I took on that attitude, I gained an abundance of confidence.

At the beginning of every class I teach, I always tell my students to set an intention for their practice. And today my intention for myself was to breathe and do a good job. Well gosh darnit, I may have forgotten to breathe a few times, but I still did a good job. I may have even superceded expectations and done a great job. Yeah, there are a few kinks to work out and some improvements to be made, but aren't there always with something new. I'm really happy with the experience I had today.

Every single parent in class left me with a positive remark. One young mommy was so glad we offered the class because she had not exercised in 3 months. Another mom told me she was delighted to have practiced her handstand with me. She had not done an inversion in 2 years since she had become pregnant with her little girl. And another mom told me she wished this class had begun years ago when her daughter was a baby because she missed going to yoga classes. That makes me happy to be a part of such positive change.

As a mother, it is so easy for me to see what these and all mothers need. Mommies spend so much time nurturing their little ones, but we also need to be nurtured. We spend so much time holding our babies, but we also need to be held. We spend so much time loving our most blessed creations, but we also need to be loved. Yoga is an opportunity to receive these important gifts while getting some good old fashioned exercise. What a lovely way to spend an afternooon!

I hope I can continue to spread love and light on my new journey as a yoga teacher. I am so grateful for the opportunities I have and will continue to have. Together we will find the calm amidst the chaos on our family yoga journey.

Namaste.

Barfarama

Last week took our family bonding to a new level. While getting stuck in the bathroom in the middle of the night, I groaned to Marc that I couldn't stop throwing up.

His response: "Oh.....Why is the cat meowing." (That alone was enough to make me barf.)

I was going to ask him to help me by checking on baby Max because I could hear that he was awake through the baby monitor. But I didn't even bother. Marc needed his beauty sleep and I didn't feel well enough to give a class in compassion 101.

Off I went to do some more throwing up before I was able to muster just enough energy to trudge upstairs to check on the little boy.

I got upstairs to his room and was greeted with the most horrific smell and pitiful sight I have ever seen in my whole entire life. Poor Max was covered in vomit from head to toe. Chunks of this and that were stuck to his hair and his pj's and his crib. He was officially sick and my heart was officially broken.

The pukathon continued as I rushed Max downstairs to clean him in the sink. I was fully handling the situation on my own until my stomach started to regurgitate and climb its way back up my esophagus. I think it was about that time I screamed, "Maaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrcccccc!!!!!!!!"

That began his long overdue initiation into nighttime parenting. "You clean the baby while I go barf."

Twenty-four hours, six showers and five sheet changes later, we seemed to be resting a little easier despite the fact that we couldn't eat. The stomach flu had plagued us and about 10 of our friends that were at the same bbq as us on Memorial Day.

We were nautious, feverish, shivering, and totally lethargic. The doctor said that whether we had the stomach flu or food poisoning, we should stick with the "brat diet" when it came time to reintroduce food. Banana, rice, applesauce, and dry toast were safe bets for our fragile intestines. And of course breast milk....the cure for any illness in its all nutritious beauty.

I guess Marc thought the R in "brat" stood for rack of ribs because that was the food he brought home for Max to eat. When I fell asleep, I think he fed Max an extra spicy gyro plate that made Max even sicker. Because when I woke up a few hours later, the next round of vomit clean-up took gnarly to the next level. What was he thinking?

There was no need to say "I told you so". Because it was at that point, the big, hairy, ugly faced contagious virus attacked again....with a vengeance.

For the next 24 hours, the only words I heard come out of Marc's mouth was, "I'm gonna' die."

Marc was so weak that he could barely walk. Imagine if guys had to have babies and breastfeed on the toilet with the big D while barfing. They definitely couldn't handle it and we could call them hypochondriacs. Except that we are way too nurturing and would never send that type of negative energy to someone that genuinely needed love and support.

Now that we're all feeling better, I'm so grateful the family barfathon is over. We're all feeling strong and healthy again, and maybe even a few pounds lighter.

We were co-sleeping through the whole stomach flu extravaganza and kind of got off our regular routine of sleep. I'm so proud of myself because I was able to easily transition him to sleeping in his crib again with no problem. All I did was climb in his crib with him until he fell asleep so he knew that it was a safe place and he would not be alone. It worked like a charm and all I had to do was snuggle with my best boy!


Here's a picture of Max and me on a happier day at Frankie's first birthday party. He cut his 13th tooth today and he is such a good boy.

Joshua Tree 2011

You would think camping is our favorite thing in the world. Not so much, but why not. At least we were hiking in costume. That's what happens when your friends bring their burning man suitcases rather than firewood. Yes, it was that kind of weekend.

You know you're a mother when....

You know you're a mother when....

It's mothers day and you do absolutely nothing for yourself.

You use lansinoh (for dry, cracked nipples) as your lip balm.

You are explaining your baby's nap schedule to the clerk at Whole Foods....as if they friggin' care!

After peeing in your pants, you immediately clean the baby. And then sit down on a cloth diaper to eat lunch. And then you finally take a shower. (Yes, this has really happened to me. Twice.)

You know you're a mother when....You continue rocking your baby an hour after he has fallen asleep because you want to hang on to those special moments for as long as physically possible.

Before I was a mom, I didn't know how naturally all of this would come. Yes, I've been a mommy for years to Boogars Bellpepper Perry, but now that I have a footballer baby, I have a new respect for all the mamas and babies.

Happy mothers day to all the mommies who are not mommies yet and desperately hope to be one day. Your nurturing, loving disposition rubs off on the mothers who have the opportunity to hold their babies today. It makes us realize that what we have is sacred and never to be taken for granted. As the message in "Under the Tuscan Sun" conveys, family comes in many forms, so don't give up hope!

I could adopt a baby (or five) tomorrow. I have loved nothing more than baby Max in my life, but my heart aches for all the babies in the world that need mommies. Now that Max has all his one year molars, eats everything, and sleeps like a champ (most of the time), I would like to adopt a pack of boys and breast feed each one of them. I understand why siblings are generally spaced two years apart. It's about this time that mama is recovering and ready for another! (Not happening ANY TIME SOON, but just sayin'....)

Ok, so some random updates: (These are my favorite....eeeeek!)

Max eats sliced oranges now and hands the peel back to me. He does not like it if I cut the orange out for him. He wants to do it himself.

In 30 seconds flat while I was using the bathroom, he pulled out a chair and climbed on it in order to climb on to the kitchen table. This boy is FAST. No doubt.

He has NEVER been sick. (Yay mommy....I must be doing something right!) However, we are looking for the vaccine against skinned knees because that is a common occurrence around here. While going into the doctor's office with me the other day, he bumped his head so hard that he cut himself before I headed into minor surgery. Thank goodness the nurses were right there to clean his wound and take care of him because that was not a good moment!

He's obsessed with footballs, soccer balls, basketballs, yoga balls, and any ball he can get his hands on. And yes, of course he is dying to play with the volleyballs with his father at the beach.

He LOVES music and we jam out with our clams out. He tap dances with me every single time we get into the elevator and I swear he's already doing traveling time steps.

He softly hugs his friends with such loving kindness. Unfortunately he proceeds to steal their toys out of their hands and run circles around them.

He thinks the cat is a drum set. Kind-hearted kitty doesn't even care....

Forrest Gump thinks baby Max is super cute. Yes, he is already hanging out with Tom Hanks at playtone....how many babies get that opportunity? Thanks Aunt Nori!

As for us, it took Paisley and I over two hours to hike temescal with Max the other day. Either we are getting more and more out of shape, or he's getting heavier.

Max slept through all of his scheduled Easter egg hunts in Coppell, so we improvised with a hunt in the backyard. There's a video of that floating around somewhere. I look like a brunette version of Anna Nicole playing outside with Max so it's probably better that no one views it. Those bath toys made for some sweet eggs!

I find it interesting that my mom had three kids and said none of us were ever into everything the way Max is. She said they are going to have to baby proof all the cabinets in the kitchen before the next time we visit. I'm used to the high level of activity so that is just our norm. But she stressed the importance of being in a good school district because he is a smart cookie and will be easily bored. We're either all really biased or Max is really amazing. Or both. :)

While Max was with grandmom and granddad, I went to a DCC banquet and had a night out with my sistas at Cowboys Stadium. That made for a fun hall pass, but by the time I got home after midnight, I was exhausted. Upon returning from a long, lovely evening, I was stunned to find Max boo-hoo-ing crying and you could say that evening didn't go too smoothly! My parents got steam rolled while I got treated to some first class fun on the field!

For mother's day I took Max to the Gentle Barn where we were able to save a hamburger and hug a cow. He was so sweet with the rescue animals and made the kissy sound to every animal he sees. He enjoyed petting the roosters, horses, and the pot belly pigs...(Except he screamed maniacally when the rooster took his corn on the cob away.) Gentle Barn in Santa Clarita is a fantastic place to teach children how to cherish and respect animals and would be a wonderful place to have a vegetarian picnic with a group of impressionable kiddos. I highly recommend this place!

Compassionate activities like this teach unconditional love and make for the best time together.

Gotta' get back to my yoga book challenge now. I hate it that there's no real time in my schedule for blogging. I have eight books to read in eight weeks time, and quite frankly I have no idea how I'm going to accomplish it. I just know that I can!

Splish Splash Max was takin' a bath....

Baby Max had the best day ever with his girlfriend Natalie. She is only a little older than him and they play together so well. We were two tired mommies today, but with our bouncing babies and some mommy mojo we made it happen. Kelly is such a wonderful mother and I love being with them!

Blessed days like these are what dreams are made of. And it is my dream for Max to have a clean baby bootie all the time. Sounds like a win, win to have happy, clean babies, huh! Love that.....Heck, I just loved this day!

Sweet little Maximilian's updates include:

He slides down the baby slide at the park all by himself. He dives face first like superman....yikes!

He knows how to put the lid back on a water bottle. I was very surprised to see him turn the lid around to screw it on correctly.

He gives french kisses to boys and girls with his mouth open. He also helps himself to food out of his friends' mouths....even if they were planning on swallowing and keeping it for themselves.

He sits in his own little chair that has his name monogrammed on it. It's a fun game him and Marc play. "Go get in your chair!" And Max runs back and forth from his chair to his toys.

He says a lot more words. A few that I heard this week include up, blueberries, i love you, and kitchen.

If your cocktail needs a little stir, he does that with his entire fist. Then he will proceed to feed you ice cubes--even if you are wearing a beautiful dry clean only suit and you don't want your cranberry drink to spill on your front.

He climbs three flights of steps in less than a minute. This has become a daily ritual because he loves it so much and it wears him out.

He has 11 or 12 teeth, 3 of which are molars.

When he wants milk he rips off my shirt--regardless of where we are.

He cleans his air jordan basketball shoes in the toilet.

He falls about 3000 times a day and manages to get away with only about ten bruises on his knees and shins.

He growls when I take his pacifier away.

He gives lots of hugs and wraps his arms tight around my neck. He is the center of our world......xoxo

How to Feed Your Baby

Many moms have told me they don't understand how I am able to feed my baby fresh food for every single meal without buying baby food in jars. They are running out of creative ideas and I would like to share some of mine. Hopefully this will help other mommies give their babies fresh food for every meal.

First of all, you don't need to worry about introducing solid foods before the baby is six or seven months old when their gut is sealed. The digestive system is still very fragile and if you are able to exclusively breast feed they are getting exactly what they need.

Perfect first foods are avocados and bananas because they are naturally soft and don't require any smushing, but I don't think that's where parents are having problems. It seems like moms start to ask questions when the baby is about 12 months old. By that time the baby has been introduced to a wide variety of foods and the mom is kind of like, "what now".

The easiest advice is to feed your baby all the healthy foods that you are eating. If you eat big macs and cheese puffs every day then you are probably the exception to the rule. But if you can line up your diets to be similar, if not the same, it will make your life so much easier.

Even if the babies don't have teeth, they are able to chew quite a bit of food with their gums. Healthy foods include food that does not come out of packages or cans and is not processed. If you decide to make dairy and meat a part of your baby's diet, it is wise to consider delaying the introductions and those foods should be given in very small amounts since those are the hardest foods to digest.

Here are some ideas for a 12 month or older baby that is allowed to eat nuts. I know some people wait longer, but Max doesn't have any allergies and eats almost everything except for sugar, dairy (mama's milk only), and processed foods.

Quinoa is one of the most perfect proteins on the planet and is one of the healthiest foods. You could feed this to your little one every single day and it is always prepared in only ten minutes. You boil some water, pour in some quinoa, and then add any other vegetable you are in the mood for. We put everything from onions and kale, to broccoli and carrots. We cut up the vegetables to be really small and it would be easy for any one year old to eat. The best thing about this meal is that it is so delicious that you will want to make more than enough for yourself. By adding a little bragg's liquid amino acids, the flavor is to die for.

Oatmeal is a solid breakfast for parents and children. We like to put strawberries, blueberries, raisins, a scoop of all natural peanut or almond butter and a splash of cinnamon. Baby Max gobbles up a breakfast similar to this almost every single day and it is nice for us to be able to share the same bowl.

Another breakfast favorite or sweet treat substitution we love to share are shakes. It's almost the same as the oatmeal except it is cool and raw. I like to blend bananas, raspberries, almond or coconut milk, water, ice, almond butter, and oats. Max and I also drink out of the same cup and it is no trouble to share what I am already making for myself.

Our favorite dinner time foods are soups, stews, or big pots of beans with other random vegetables. Yes, it does take a bit of time to make the first initial pot of soup, but with some practice you can crank it out really quickly. And not all beans have to be soaked in advance.

Split pea soup can be cooked in less than one hour and requires no prior soaking. The split peas are so flavorful, that if you do not have a lot of time to cut up the fresh vegetables, you can keep the soup very bland with only one veggie. I like to make a vegan split pea soup with celery, carrots, onions, garlic, potatoes and usually some kale or chard. Just throw in whatever veggies you have and it's impossible to mess it up.

It is very easy to keep packages of split peas in your cupboard. Even if you have not had the time to go shopping, the peas will always be ready to go. Once you have your initial pot of soup, every time you go to reheat it you can throw another vegetable in it. When I go to reheat a pot of soup, I just throw a head of brocolli in the pot. That way you haven't cooked the life out of all the vegetables and are able to get more healthy benefits from the food you are eating. The reason I always add a very green veggie to the protein is because that is how the body is able to absorb more iron.

Pinto beans are another one of my favorites. It is so easy and I have been shocked to get tons of compliments as I have shared it with many of my friends. I don't use recipes so it's NEVER the same, but here's what I do to make veggie stew.

Soak pinto beans over night. (Or 16 bean soup that you find at Trader Joe's or any other kind of mixed beans). I always throw in a few jalepenos, an onion, and at least half a clove of garlic while boiling the beans for the 1st hour. The 2nd hour I start throwing in carrots, celery, maybe more onion and a little more garlic, potatoes or rice, and any other fun ingredients. The last 2 ingredients I put in are a stalk of kale and a stalk of chard. I turn the heat off as soon as the greens are soft so the vitamins don't all get cooked out. Sometimes I will do a mix of broccoli and cauliflower. Fresh basil is always good too. Then some salt, pepper and whatever seasonings you want to add. I like spicy and if it were just for me I'd make it much hotter. My secret ingredient is Bragg's liquid amino acids. You get it at whole foods and it is the best thing ever.

Now that I share all my food with baby Max, I never use more than a dash of salt in the main pot. Yes, I use jalepenos for flavor even if I'm sharing with the baby. If you put it in as one of the first ingredients, it is more for flavor than spice. But we joke around here that he was born drinking jalepeno-flavored breast milk, so it's no surprise that he loves cayenne and the likes. I'm not suggesting that for other babies!

A couple nights ago, I made an eggplant dish that Max and Marc both devoured. All I did was slice the eggplant and throw it in a big pan with a mixture of water and oil. I also cut up peppers and onions and added it to the mix. When all the food was soft, I put in some marinara sauce and after a minute, turned off the heat. It is so easy, healthy, and delicious and the key is to wash each piece of eggplant after cutting it so it will soak up more water than oil. Also when you add marinara or tomato sauce at the end, add a little more water to make it more saucy.

Other foods like homemade guacamole are perfect for parents and children. It's really easy to cut open some avocados and add some lime, onion, garlic, and tomato. You just cut up the veggies really small.

I hope this gives my mommy and daddy friends some ideas on what to feed the whole family at mealtime. The key is that you always have food on your plate that you can share with your baby (other than fish sticks and french fries...ugh!). And if you have to eat some junk food, just wait until your baby is asleep!

If you are really tired, just dump the food all over the floor for the baby to enjoy. This is an example of what happens when daddy is in charge at our house. Fortunately Max eats everything and is happy to clean the mess.

"It's one more day up in the canyon....."

"And it's one more night in hollywood...." Counting Crows outdid themselves with this somber yet hopeful song. After spending last week in the grandest of all canyons, the tune continues running through my mind.

"I can't remember all the times I tried to tell myself. To hold on to these moments as they pass." As a new mom I can't tell you how many times I tell myself to remember every single tiny itty bitty moment because they are all milestones. Love that song more than ever lately....

Speaking of hollywood, I was there yesterday for several hours. I took Max with me to an audition at Hollywood Center Studios and almost felt like an overly impressed tourist. It made me realize that I really am a west side gal these days. Gosh, I even miss good 'ol hollyweird and enjoyed reacquainting myself with the biz for a day. The fact that I was out of the house in clean clothes, hair and make-up done, a fresh pot of beans on the stove, and a happy baby all before 2pm was a miracle. Sounds nauseatingly domestic, huh....

But what about the grand mother of all canyons. Boo-yah! We did it! No, we didn't just go there and look at it or anything mundane like that. We hiked it and camped at the bottom with the baby and a large portion of the Perry family! How cool is that!

We are especially happy about conquering the 5000 foot descent and ascent two days later because we didn't think we were able to go. Marc and I did not even do any training hikes. So at the last minute when we got the "ok" that we could go, we had not done a single thing to prepare for this awe-inspiring once or twice in a life time trek.

Luckily for us, Marc and I have always been extremely active and capable campers. Between our supplies, a borrowed tent, and some muscle memory, we were able to conquer the feat without any preparations or problems. Whew!

I always forget how awesome America is. Yeah, yeah, my dad says we won the lottery by being born here. But what I mean is that we have such a large amount of culture and beauty in the homeland that we forget about. We don't have to go to Europe or other exotic countries or continents to be astounded or enlightened. Don't get me wrong....It's nice, but not necessary.

Since this trip was completely improvised for Marc, Max, and me, it should come to no surprise that on our way home from the steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River, we took a detour and went to chintzy las vegas. After a healthy, breezy visit to a national park, I guess a trashy town was in order. But we were really just too tired to drive in Friday traffic all the way back to Los Angeles.

For some off the strip fun, we took Max to the Hoover Dam. It made for a less sentimental goodbye to Arizona. The impressive engineering blew us away and and made for a most welcomed hello to Nevada. I was most shocked to learned that 112 people were killed during the construction of the dam. That is unbelievable and so sad that those hard workers lost their lives building the site that continues to be so important to civilization today. Interesting side trip for a family that has to stop, pee, and stretch their legs a lot....

Then we arrived at Treasure Island hotel where we would stay in the new-and-improved-family-friendly-Las Vegas. Yeah, right! Well, not that it's bad or anything, but I really don't understand how you call that city family friendly. I mainly say that because you are smoking a cigarette every time you walk through a casino. And then there's the drunkidy drunk drunk drunks....

And when you see a girl running through a bar in her wedding gown and tennis shoes, you just start to feel embarrassed for her. Maybe that works in two ways. Maybe that makes me feel less guilty for having a baby and not being married. Because if that is the way I had to get married, I would never do it. If a guy wanted to get married to me at a chapel in dirty vegas I would immediately break up with him. No thank you!

The city that doesn't sleep proved to be family friendly for our little crew. We took some nice walks, enjoyed the pool, and ate some great food. Marc got to play plenty of poker games and I got to play with the cutest 13 month old baby in the world. We were even able to catch my friend's show Fantasy at the Luxor on Sat. night after dinner at Cosmopolitan. Considering the fact that we showed up there with a suitcase full of dirty camping clothes, we managed perfectly.

Getaways can be so refreshing and rejuvenating. And exhausting. And fabulous. The previous week, I was in a total funk over having to cancel the trip, and we were so happy we ended up having the opportunity to go on a vacation.

While we're on the topic of funky, let's address the doom and gloom blog (someone in my family named it that)....preciseley entitled Accepted Accurate Predictions by M. M stands for Marc and that is his creation. I didn't think it was that depressing, but then again I was laughing the whole time I typed it for him. Of course it is a joke playing on the disdain he has for fortune tellers. Wasn't it completely obvious? Maybe not.....We'll see if he guest blogs again any time soon since some very vocal people missed his humor!

Get off your butts and stop reading my blog! Why don't you get out and conquer a canyon or something. Just sayin'....