Inspired Instagram Feeds

Posted on February 20, 2015 by Teacher Goes Back to School

Dear Friend,

I hope this message finds you well and looking for inspiration in a new place.

Lately I’ve been spending most of my online time on Instagram. {You can find me here}

Why am I spending time on Instagram instead of Facebook you ask?

3 reasons I heart IG more than FB:

1. Instagram shows me everything I have signed up to see. I really do want see every post from the people I’ve chosen to follow {FB has been hiding the goods, friends. It is no bueno}.

2. Pretty pictures make me happy.

3. IGers tend to post insanely useful information there to go with their pretty pictures. Who knew?

If you’d like to see the pretty pictures I post (always with helpful self-care tips), please download Instagram on your smartphone and follow me at @tamihackbarth.

Keep reading below to see who are my favorite Instagram feeds to follow.
With lots of self-kindness and love,

Tami xox

PS – If something in this (or any post) resonates with you and you think someone you know might like it too, please forward it to a friend.

Did you like this? Please click the link here to make sure you don’t miss any updates in 2015 – get email updates (it’s FREE).

Other Posts You Might Like:

Can Your Smartphone Improve Your Health? Mine is!

Inspiration for a Self-Acceptance Self-Study

G ood Life Project

H ow to Feel Refreshed After Spring Break

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Let the inspiration begin!

1. Create As Folk – Laura Simms just started a simple hand lettered inspired and inspiring thoughts series. Totally worth a follow – simple and gorgeous, like everything she does.

2. The Tiffany Han – Brilliant mind behind the podcast Raise Your Hand Say Yes recently started a daily post it note with notes to herself/us from the universe. Simple and so inspiring.

3. Stasia Savasuk – The brilliant, wholehearted, dynamo behind Thrift Me Pretty. She is my personal stylist (yes, you read that correctly. I HAVE A PERSONAL STYLIST) and the brains behind the Inside Out Congruency in which your brilliant insides show on the outside. Her 7 year old daughter is her photographer, she lives in Maine and her smile and style can light up any feed.

4. Go Eat Your Beets — Trisha Hughes takes the most beautiful food photos in my feed. She is a mom to 4, lives in the Midwest and is mostly grain free meaning lots of Paleo cooking. In other words, lots of veggies and cooked meats and she is able to make her photos look incredible! I regularly invite myself over for dinner (and she always says yes!).

5. Tracyshutterbean — I have already established my serious girl crush on Tracy here andhere, but seriously people, SHE ROCKS. Her bio reads: Food, photography and pretty things. All true, AND she knocks it out of the park with every.single.photo. Living in the Bay Area there are lots of Golden Gate Bridge shots, glorious morning Marin light in her enviable kitchen, tons of funny shots of her adorable son + cat. Run, don’t walk to follow Tracy.

6. Minimalist Baker – Dana Shlutz – lots and lots of pretty, vegan deliciousness. I mean, really. And she’s funny too.

7. Jennifer E Snyder – Local writer, pod caster and storyteller, Jen tells stories through her inspired feed. I love taking trips with Jen and inviting myself along – she always says yes too! (I’m starting to notice a theme, aren’t you?) Anyway, I love how Jen captures wherever she happens to be.

8. Eat Play Grow – Bridget(a former local teacher) posts beautiful photos of the activities she and her preschool son are working on. I can’t tell you how many times I have taken an idea from Bridget’s feed and tried it with my own preschooler. She has saved my behind on many an afternoon. Gorgeous photos that are filled with love and present parenting. Worth a look even if you don’t have kids.

9. I Love Lucy Design Studio – I LOVE a behind the scenes of pretty much anything and this particular feed is full of shots bringing Lucy Activewear from concept to product and then to market. You get to see the designers, their travel and inspiration as well as products you may have missed other places. LOVE those HELLA active shirts! East Bay represent!

10. Liz Elayne – Liz Lamoreux’s feed brings me calm. Each picture is diverse, but the one thing they all share is an awareness of the present moment. Whenever Liz posts, I am reminded to stop and take a breath. I love that.

11. Ybicoalition – Yoga and Body Image Coalition – their bio reads: A collective of teachers, educators and doctors working together to promote yoga for all ages, shapes, sizes, abilities & backgrounds. That about sums it up. I follow this feed because I love seeing every person in their “This is what a yogi looks like” shirts.

12. Shop Compliment – Clean lines, beautiful jewelry and other “gifts for the spirit”. Melissa Camilleri is on of my biz BFFs and TGBTS Featured Teacher and one of my teachers. I love this woman and I learn from her every day through her Instagram feed.

I hope you found some new people to inspire your life! I would love to hear from you.

Who do you love on Instagram?

Image Source: Death to Stock Pho

Tiny Tips Tuesday: Stop and Notice the Little Things AKA 10 Things I Loved in June 2014

Posted on July 10, 2014 by Teacher Goes Back to School

Dear Friend,

I am shocked how fast June went by and how absolutely exhausted I was by the end. When I looked back on the month I was surprised to find I had slept 10 of 30 nights in a bed other than my own – crazy for a homebody like me. No wonder I felt ungrounded and if I’m being honest, a bit grumpy. Well, that and several days over 100 degrees.

July is already shaping up to be a busy month as well, but I am on notice to take especially good care of myself. Hot weather brings up the irritable, nothing is going well feelings if I’m not careful, so I’m making special note to practice some cooling restorative yoga, drink some fancy coconut milk drinks and not turn the oven on.

How’s your summer going so far? I’d love to hear how you keep yourself cool and comforted in the summer – please send me a message.

With lots of self-kindness and love,

Tami xox

PS – If something in this (or any post) resonates with you and you think someone you know might like it too, please forward it to a friend.

PPS – If you enjoyed this post, get email updates (it’s FREE).

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Links To Love:

Books I Love: Edward Tulane and The Dirty Cowboy

Will Yoga Help With….

Downtime Is NOT Optional

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For the last few months I have been doing these reflection posts after being inspired by Rosie’s posts. Taking time each month to reflect on the good things that happen each day/week/month has done wonders for my ability to actually stop and notice the good stuff.

Ten Things I Loved In June 2014

Things I/We Did

1. Curve Camp. 3 days of body positive yoga, three life-changing workshops with Rosie Molinary, Dyana Valentine and Vivienne McMaster, a photo booth, friendship bracelet making, tons of great food and so many laughs. I can’t wait to go again next year!

2. Kicked Summer of Intentionality into high gear. I am happy to announce I finished five books in June. That pleases me because reading makes me happy and I can get sidetracked and miss out on one of my life’s simplest pleasures. So happy to have made reading a priority again!

I’ve been making headway on the new website (OMG- so excited!), I am signed up for a Be Your Own Beloved summer class to gain some insight into liking what I see in my photos, we’ve been swimming lessons and hanging in the pool and our backyard dining table has been getting a lot of use.

Travel was definitely a theme in June. In fact, I slept 10 out of 30 nights in a bed other than my own. June felt like it went by really fast and now I know why!

3. Coached my first teacher in The Healthy Happy Sane Teacher. By now I’m sure most of you have heard about my and Rosie’s sustainable self-care program, but did you know we’re now offering live coaching services too? I did my first session in June and I LOVED it. Working one-on-one with people on their goals makes me happy. People can move so quickly toward where they want to be with a little support. It’s so exciting! Please send me a message (tami_hackbarth at hotmail) if you want more information or want to schedule a session.

4. Art Journal class with Brene Brown using the Gifts of Imperfection. Last fall I took part of of this class and did not finish it. I have a long story I tell myself about how I “never” finish anything and I won’t bore you with the details, but I was determined to not continue down this path. Instead I blocked time out of my schedule and made working on the extremely pleasurable exercises non-negotiable. Because who doesn’t have to MAKE themselves do things they really LIKE to do? God, please tell me I’m not alone…. Anyway, I decided to use my one bite of the apple technique to get through all the exercises in the class and I’m happy to report I FINISHED and I had fun and I felt accomplished. Plus now I have this really, really beautiful journal filled with exercises from one of my favorite books. I enjoyed the art part of the class so much I made watercolor and hand-lettering part of my Summer of Intention.

5. Connected in person. Can we all agree we love the internet and how we always know what is up with our favorite people? Can we also agree that people aren’t really showing us the whole story on social media and seeing faces and sharing hugs and meals and entire stories is really what life is about? Note to self: more face to face time. More hugs. More tears. More hand holding. More time together. Showing up matters. That PSA is a reminder to all of us, especially me.

Products and Services I Dug:

6. Gizeh Sandals by Birkenstock – I wear these so much I might just need to get rid of all of my other shoes. If you are on the fence because you just aren’t sure you want to wear Birkenstocks, just do it. They are so comfortable and you’ll constantly be high fiving all the other cute ladies wearing theirs. PS – I might need an intervention. I want them in every color.

7. Nordstrom Rack for bras. A while back I shared I have been wearing the wrong bra size (by THREE cups) for my whole life and so I went in search of ridiculously gigantic new bras. Add insult to injury because these new gigantic bras are also really expensive. Enter Nordstrom Rack (I love I’m getting my rack taken care of at The RACK)… you get all the expensive brands at significant discount and you get to try them on before you buy. I tried going the Amazon route (which wasn’t terrible), but I had to return every single bra I bought. Again, not the worst thing in the world because they make returns super easy, but I love some instant gratification of walking out of a store bras in hand. So if you find you are in need of some new bras, check out the RACK.

Books I Can Highly Recommend:

8. Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo

9. A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson

10. Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding

Bonus: Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

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So what are you loving lately? I’m always on the lookout for what is delicious in food, drink, fashion, and life. Let me know your favorites in the comments or write a post of your own and link back here.

If you enjoyed this post, get email updates (it’s FREE).

Image Source: My Instagram!

Tiny Tips Tuesday: Summer of Intentionality – To Learn

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Teacher Goes Back to School

Dear Friend,

Have you started your Summer of Intentionality lists yet? I am super excited to report lots of people have reached out to say they are starting to think differently about how they spend their summer time and want to use their time a bit more intentionally. Please leave a comment or send me an email (tgbtsblog AT gmail) and let me know what you want to read, do and learn this summer!

A few friends contacted me to say my lists were kinda stressing them out because my reading and to do lists are pretty long. This is such a great point! My lists {especially the fun ones} are long on purpose.

I spend a great deal of time (as do you) dealing with the seriousness of grown up life that when I have some free time rather than having fun on purpose or spending time getting lost in a good novel I find myself at the bottom of a Facebook rabbit hole wondering where the last two hours of my life went. {Please tell me I’m not the only one….}

These lists are mostly a reminder to myself that fun doesn’t have to be super planned or time consuming, it can be as simple as eating our meals outside away from all the screens or laying on a blanket in the backyard reading another Mercy Watson book out loud to my daughter.

There is probably no way possible for me to finish all the items on my lists. In fact, that’s part of the project for me – to see what I actually do by the end of the summer. So much of my life has been productivity driven, at least for the summer months I want to be sure to mix in some fun. And to let go of the idea that if something makes my list that I am obligated to finish it.

I say BOO to that business. Summer is for fun! And reading! And learning! Without further ado…

TGBTS/Tami’s 2014 Summer To Learn List:

Webby things. It is my intention to have a sparkly NEW WEBSITE to reveal by Labor Day.
Instagram is my favorite social media site. I would like to learn how to use it effectively.
How to look good in a photo to myself. I will let you know when I figure it out. I think the answer might be different than we first think.
Positive Discipline techniques for my professional three and a half year old. It might involve locking myself in the bathroom.
How to prepare vegan salads (you’d think that would be a given….) that I want to eat every day of my life. I will share what I learn.
How to do some basic hand lettering and water color. Ever since I took an art journalling class I’ve been a little obsessed with water coloring and I’ve recently fallen down the let’s pin all the hand lettering pins rabbit hole.

I do hope you decide to make you own Summer of Intentionality lists. If you’d like to take a peek at some of my lists from the past click here.

With lots of love and compassion,

Tami

PS – If you find this helpful or know someone who would, please be sure to pass it on. Sharing is caring!

Tiny Tips Tuesday: Self-Care That Isn’t Just For Teachers

Posted on May 6, 2014 by Teacher Goes Back to School

Dear Friend,

I am thrilled to announce The Healthy Happy Sane Teacher: Sustainable Self-Care for a Successful School Year Home Study Program. I wanted to share it with you first because many of you approached me about wanting to take the program last summer when we taught it live and either you weren’t available during our session or (*gasp*) you aren’t a teacher.

You ask and you shall receive, friends! The Home Study Program is the exact self-care program on your timeline. And we aren’t checking for teaching credentials…(so if you non teacher types wanted to sign up…)

What isThe Healthy Happy Sane Teacher you ask?

The Healthy Happy Sane Teacher is a five week self-guided self-care workshop taught by me and Rosie Molinary, author of Beautiful You: A Daily Guide to Radical Self-Acceptance.

In The Healthy, Happy, Sane Teacher program, we teach educators — from elementary teachers to college professors, support personnel to administrators — the best practices for self-care, how to let go of the pressure for perfection, how to know what adjustments to make when things get tough, how to identify personal boundaries and communicate them, and the power of claiming what you want in your life.

Each week there is a lesson in healthy, a lesson in happy and a lesson in sane – along with a workbook to help you incorporate the week’s lessons into your daily life. Rosie and I also spend a hour each week talking about the week’s lessons.

The Home Study program includes both the audio recording, the workbooks and a secret Facebook group where we can build a community of people dedicated to making our lives healthier, happier and saner.

If you are interested in The Healthy, Happy, Sane Teacher Home Study program please sign up for our mailing list and if you know anyone who would benefit from some guided self-care instruction, please send this message to them.

coming soon home study program If you enjoyed this post, get email updates (it’s FREE).

10 Things I Loved in April 2014

Posted on May 2, 2014 by Teacher Goes Back to School

For the last few months I have been doing these reflection posts after being inspired by Rosie’s. Taking time each month to reflect on the good things that happen each day/week/month has done wonders for my ability to actually stop and notice the good stuff.

Ten Things I Loved In April

Things I/We Did

1. Used our health insurance. I hardly ever go to the doctor, but when I do I am so happy I have it. Bonus – I absolutely adore my GP and my new behavior medicine doctor. April was one of much contagious coughing in our house, so knowing we were taken care of helped ease part of the stress.

2. Traveled to Texas. My mom had a stroke in January and is on a long road to I’m not sure where. Thankful for everyone who has reached out with support to me and my family and especially to those who lent a hand with emergency child care and food offerings. The extra long hugs and mid day Skype sessions have really helped me hold it together. People, aging parents is h.a.r.d.

3. Binged on Scandal. I think I like it even more than House of Cards. Gladiators in suits and oh what beautiful suits they are! Olivia Pope’s wardrobe is a good enough reason to check this show out.

4. The Healthy Happy Sane Teacher is back! Last month I told you we’d been working all month to make it a home study program so people can get started right away and work at their own pace. All true and then we had to work through some tech issues and we’re thisclose to launching. So excited! I’ve kept up my HHST practices and once again am amazed at how much healthier, happier and more sane I feel – even when I had bronchitis it worked!

5. Preschool soccer for my tiny human. I can’t decide if three year olds playing “soccer” is the cutest thing in the world or the most ridiculous, but we started and laughed pretty hard. So far she’s comforted a crying teammate, refused to get on the field and asked the ref if she could blow the whistle. She really likes the post game snacks.

Products and Services I Dug:

6. MindBodyBliss with Nikki Stern. A cleanse, but one where you still eat. A lot. And the food is delicious – even my Texas living brother said so. The program was exactly what I needed to help me take really great care of myself when I was ill and dealing with travel and ailing mama stuff. I’ve recommended working with Nikki in the past and this gave me even more reason to do so. Nikki helps you take really good care of you in a way that is easy and yet profound.

7. The Mentorship Coterie with Hilary Rushford. 2014 is the year to invest in myself and my business and working with Hilary has been a dream. She’s smart, she’s funny and she is super helpful in seeing possibility where you haven’t. Plus she’s worked her tail off to create a beautiful community and business – both styling and mentoring. So glad I decided to work with her!

Things on the Internet I Can Highly Recommend:

8. Mindful Mondays series on Whoorl. Sarah James is a beauty blogger with noteworthy amazing hair (she even did a Pantene commercial), but recently she’s become a seeker of truth. Last year she started having some hard to diagnose health issues and as a result has been on a journey. I am loving her no nonsense style while she’s diving into some seriously woo-woo business. Kindred spirit for sure!

9. Everyday Snacks series on Shutterbean. You all know how much I love Tracy from Shutterbean and the Joy The Baker Podcast. She is my imaginary new internet BFF, so imagine my delight when I started following her on Instagram to discover a new hashtag in my honor (or so I like to think!) – #shutterbeandinner. Life only got better when Tracy started a series on healthy snacks on her blog: peanut butter filled dates with coconut, roasted strawberries with cheese over graham crackers, heart shaped cinnamon sugar tortilla chips.

10. Good Life Project with Jonathan Fields. I can’t get enough of this interview series, but I have also seriously been enjoying Jonathan’s “Jam Sessions” with topics like How Do You Stay Motivated Over A Longer Period of Time and Three Things That Will Stop Your Creative Life from Destroying You and The “Hair On Fire” Minus One Method To Getting More Done In Less Time. They are less than 15 minutes and are full of great information.

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If you enjoyed this post, get email updates (it’s FREE).

So what are you loving lately? I’m always on the lookout for what is delicious in food, drink, fashion, and life. Leave me your favorites in the comments or write a post of your own and link back here.

Image Source: My Instagram!

12 More Ways to Celebrate National Day of Unplugging

Posted on March 6, 2014 by Teacher Goes Back to School

March 7 sundown to March 8th sundown is National Day of Unplugging. I probably need to take part. It has been a while since my last internet fast. {How’s that for a confession?}

Sarah from Yes and Yes published a great list of 23 Non-Technology Things To Do On National Unplug Day and I will add 12 more.

12 More Ways to Celebrate National Day of Unplugging

1. Go to a restorative yoga class. What could be better?

2. Read a novel in the bath.

3. Take your kid to the park and leave your smartphone in the car or at home.

4. Get a massage.

5. Spend some time at the Church of Quiet.

6. Meet a friend for tea at a wifi free coffeehouse.

7. Sleep.

8. Go on a hike.

9. Take a day trip to see some flowers.

10. Go to a museum.

11. Go to the beach.

12. Spend the afternoon bowling or karaoke with friends.

Are you called to unplug? Do you ever do this?

If you enjoyed this post, get email updates (it’s FREE).

Thanks to Yes and Yes for the brilliant 23 Non-Technology Things To Do On National Unplug Day. Hope over and check them out and then try something on the list. I especially love #2, #9, and #15.

10 Things I Loved In February 2014

Posted on March 4, 2014 by Teacher Goes Back to School

Ten Things I Loved In February

Things I/We Did

1. Rainy Day Book Club Hike to celebrate reading Cheryl Strayed’s WILD. Super excited to finally be part of a book club again. I only know one woman, but each time we meet I meet more cool, interesting, smart, funny women. Plus I’m reading books I wouldn’t necessarily ever pick up on my own.

There are few things I find more satisfying than reading a good book and then getting to talk about it.

Are you in a book club? What have you read that you’d recommend?

2. Showed up. This has been so helpful for me to build my relationship with my family and it sure has helped during my mom’s illness. I’m also reaching out more which can be really difficult in times of need. Progress!

3. Rainy day play dates and nature walks. I am still deciding if I am a complete nutter butter or a genius for taking my preschooler out in the rain and to play in the puddles and mud afterward. It is totally gross and a pain in the butt to clean up, but she’s super happy and being outside regardless of weather helps regulate my moods. I guess I’m a genius!

Any other ideas for keeping a super energetic toddler busy? I am seriously open to new ideas. Share your parenting gems.

4. Prescribed rest. Twice. Permission slip to rest. I napped a lot with the kid in February, and I regularly go to bed in the 9 o’clock hour and this month I slept in as late as possible. And I do feel better when I get more rest.

5. Connected with our ridiculously awesome neighbors. I had no idea what a great neighborhood I live in until we had a kid and suddenly we were enveloped into this community of like-minded generous and lovely families. It is so comforting to know someone right outside your front door can help if you need it or make you laugh. U Street Gang, you are allright!

Products and Services I Dug:

6. Sprouts Farmer’s Market. Is now a good time to tell you I’ve been finding a weirdly huge amount of comfort in the produce aisle? Like for real. If you follow my Instagram feed you can watch up close and personal just how I’m eating my life’s savings away in fruits and vegetables.

7. Amazon Prime. Just keeping up with my status as the last to jump on every band wagon. Free Kindle books, my favorite vegan protein powder, free movies – what is there not to like?

Books I Can Highly Recommend:

8. Let’s Explore Owls with Diabetes by David Sedaris. Do I need to go into how much I love David Sedaris? Good. This one was not my favorite, but still comforting like my favorite sweater, bowl of soup, cup of tea. He just cracks me up even when he’s not being funny.

My favorite of his is Naked. Then Barrel Fever. If you haven’t read those yet, stop what you are doing right now and get yourself to the bookstore.

9. Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrated by Jen Corace. One of those random recommendations in the picture book section of the library. The magic words spoken? “My kindergarten class loved this one!” Thanks, Teacher I Wish I Would Have Introduced Myself To.

Do you read picture books? What are your favorites?

10. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. I read the first Hunger Games a year ago and then the two sequels in a week. I am so fancy. Also I like reading young adult fiction when I’m sick. It’s really all I can keep up with.

Videos I Fell For: .Pretty much all of the videos from Hilary Rushford of Dean Street Society. So adorable AND helpful.

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Image Source: My Instagram!

10 Things I Loved In January 2014

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Teacher Goes Back to School

Ten Things I Loved In January

Things I/We Did

1. Blog break. Sometimes you need to step away from something you love in order to see how much you love it. I am glad to be back.

2. Fired up and Focused Challenge with the Yogipreneur. All I can say is -wow. If you have trouble getting yourself to work on your business, do this challenge. You can sign up at any time and it is totally free.

3. .Hosted my own personal summit and picked my word of the year. It’s not too late to do this life-changing practice. Click the link for instructions and inspiration.

4. Taught Restoration Not Resolutions – my first yoga workshop AND there was writing AND it was awesome – if I do say so myself. Have I ever mentioned how much I love teaching?

5. Connected with some super inspiring local business ladies. I am so excited to be working with and learning from this group. Can’t wait to share more about them as the year goes on!

Products and Services I Dug:

6. Southwest Airlines. It has been about forever since I’ve spoken to an airline employee on the phone. Last week I had the chance to talk to two different women from Southwest who were both so kind and understanding and helpful I wanted to hug them both.

7. Mailchimp. Such an easy way to keep in touch.

Books I Can Highly Recommend:

8. Positive Discipline for Preschoolers by Jane Nelsen

9. The Desire Map by Danielle LaPorte.

10. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Videos I Fell For: .

Bonkers Awesome with Joy The Baker. Of course, my favorite episode is with Tracy from Shutterbean and her fabulous organizing skills.

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If you enjoyed this post, get email updates (it’s FREE).

Image Source: I took this picture. Please do not use them.

Ten Things I Loved: October 2013

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Teacher Goes Back to School

Ten Things I Loved In October

Things I/We Did

1. Celebrated Family Day. Two years ago we met our girl for the very first time and we celebrate that day every year. It’s like Christmas and your birthday all rolled into one. This year we went to Apple Hill and celebrated with hot apple cider donuts, apple pie and pulled pork sandwiches followed by a giant car nap on the way home for Little Girl.

2. Completed The Healthy, Happy, Sane Teacher. You how they say you should write the book you want to read and create the program you want to take? THAT. Met some amazing teachers along this segment of the HHST journey and now we’re seeing where it continues to take us. Stay tuned. This ride isn’t over yet.

3. Began getting serious about creating my business. I’m in full on learning/researching mode. I love learning new things, so this is fun. {ed note: “fun” turned into massive self-doubt.} Now just to make it all a reality. Look out 4th quarter 2013!

4. Connected with friends in person and on the phone. I love social media, but nothing replaces seeing faces and hearing voices. This month saw walks with kids in strollers and in ergos, breakfasts out, office chats, tea around the dining room table and watching kids play in the backyard.

5. Cousin time! Running, chasing, climbing, pretending, laughing. So happy to see my girl so happy.

Products and Services I Dug:

6. Inequality For All. The movie. Go. See. It. NOW.

It is not your imagination. The middle class is shrinking. The uber rich are richer than ever. Like richer than any other time in the history of the world. And you aren’t one of them.

Robert Reich is a super smarty policy dude with lots of charm. He’s funny and engaging and able to make complex issues digestible.

Go see it.

Books I Can Highly Recommend:

7. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I think this one is my favorite yet. The writing seems a lot better than the others. Or have I just fallen under a magical spell?

{ed note: I wrote the comment above before I finished the book. HOLY HELL. I SOBBED at the end. As if I knew these people in real life. Dude.}

8. Fat, Forty and Fired: One Man’s Frank, Funny, Inspiring Account of Losing His Job and Finding His Life by Nigel Marsh. I LOVE stories about people quitting their jobs to find more meaning in lives.

9. The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown. Courage, Compassion, Connection. Re-reading it for a course and wow. I’m feeling it this time much deeper.

Videos I Fell For: .

10. Fire Starter Sessions videos with Danielle LaPorte. I freaking love the smart people on the internet.

BONUS! Sidesaddle Kitchen. I may or may not have watched every single one of these videos in one go. What can I say? Laura Miller is adorable and makes raw vegan food not gross. Who knew?

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Image Source: I took this picture. Please do not use it without permission.

Fifteen Ways to Have Fun With Your Family This Fall

Posted on October 3, 2013 by Teacher Goes Back to School

I’m slowly, but surely learning that the more time I spend thinking about how I want to spend my time and how I want those activities to make me feel, the less time I spend mindlessly watching TV or trolling around Facebook.

My word of the year is connection, so keeping that in mind, I’m making plans for this fall which involves my friends and family.

I, like most people it would seem, love fall. Here in Sacramento, it cools down to the mid 80s and you can finally enjoy being outside in the afternoon. The leaves turn color and you can wear boots and layers and for the most part never be cold.

Fall is a good thing.

FIFTEEN WAYS TO HAVE FUN WITH YOUR FAMILY THIS FALL

1. Go to Apple Hill (or your region’s equivalent) and eat all of the apple things. There has been talk of apple donuts, apple pie, apple cider. And, of course, garlic french fries.

2. Celebrate Family Day – we celebrate the day we became a family with everyone taking the day off from work. We spend the day together, we go out to eat and this year we’re eating all the apples.

3. Pick your own pumpkins at a pumpkin patch. We go to Uncle Ray’s because it’s a low-key place. The only thing you pay for is your pumpkins. Even parking is free. Plus it is less than 20 minutes from home. A perfect weekday field trip with the two-year old.

4. Get lost in a corn maze – Uncle Ray’s is perfect for little ones.

5. Tractor-pulled hay ride – Uncle Ray’s takes you on a little tour of the farm in the back of a hay-filled tractor. Last year, Little Girl, could not stop clapping. She absolutely loved it. So we’ll go again.

6. Train ride – The Sacramento River Train goes between West Sacramento and Woodland. Three hours and ends up at, you guessed it, Uncle Ray’s! Apparently there is food and it takes three hours. This might be a mama friend date trip.

7. Ginkgo leaf photos of Little Girl. So ginkgo trees down the block from us, or as I like to call them, The Twins, get absolutely spectacular in the fall turning from a lovely shade of green to the most brilliant yellow. I’ve been taking photos of the baby in those leaf piles for the last two years and I plan to do it again. I’m super glad they are in the front of someone’s house, so I don’t have to ask to go in someone else’s back yard to get these photos.

Plus waiting for the perfect time to take the photos forces me to watch those leaves closely. It’s a win, win!

8. Watch the leaves change. See above. I’m on high alert. This is a new favorite fall activity.

9. Try five new fall recipes. Haven’t decided what to make yet, so if you’d like me to make your favorite, leave a link in the comment section. I’ll most likely be using Pinterest as my recipe finder.

10. Homecoming parade and football game. I went to my 25th high school reunion this past summer and visited the brand new campus of my alma mater, so it really only makes sense that I go to Homecoming this year. I don’t think I’ve been in at least 23 years. Also: I am old.

11. Attend a soccer game to see my BFF’s son play. We are not yet being held hostage by sports every weekend, so this actually sounds like fun. And there will likely be delicious brunch after.

12. Read fall themed books from the library. Over and over and over again. Our little bookworm lives in the land of repeats, so we might as well make them seasonal. Here’s some Halloween books and some pumpkin books and some monster books and some fall books and some more fall books.

13. Consider an alternative to pumpkin carving. I’m thinking pounding golf tees into a pumpkin would be a good idea.

14. Tuck pretty leaves between the pages of your favorite books to be found later. Now I just have to wait until those damn leaves change color so I can start this business.

15. Sign up for a seasonal class. My favorite is Yoga for Holiday Stress with my friend, Madeleine over at It’s All Yoga.

What’s on your Fall Fun list?

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If you enjoyed this post, get email updates (it’s FREE).

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For more Fall Frolic ideas see:

Embrace Fall by Rosie Molinary

Fifteen Fun Things For Fall from Yes and Yes

101+ Fall Activities and Crafts from Kids from Growing A Jeweled Rose

Ten Things I Loved In July 2013

Posted on August 1, 2013 by Teacher Goes Back to School

Ten Things I Loved In July

Things I/We Did

1. We skipped fireworks on the 4th. Best decision we made all year. It was 110 degrees. Instead we stayed inside and watched March of the Penguins and ate popcorn and popsicles. Too hot!

2. Read books on the hammock in the shade. I am unclear as to why I, the person who loves hammocks most, has never had her own hammock until now. It’s officially the thing I can’t believe I ever lived without.

3. Sang karaoke at my 25th high school reunion. Attention all reunion planners! Having a silly activity for people to do that isn’t drinking copious amounts of booze at a reunion is such a good idea. I know it would take copious amounts of booze for lots of people to sing karaoke, I just don’t happen to be one of those people anymore.

4. Talked at so many faces I love. I am totally sold on the whole video chat thing-a-bob. You know how I like to be late to the party, this is just another example of my state of the art lifestyle.

5. Spontaneous road trip to Truckee/Donner with my college roomie/bestie and daughter. She lives in Nashville, so this was a serious treat. Our girls got to hang out and mountain air can pretty much fix anything.

Products and Services I Dug:

6. Cabana Club South – we’ve been there most days for dinner this month and it’s pretty much changed our lives. You know those terrible hours between dinner and bedtime with a two-year old? A dip in the pool makes life better for everyone. I highly recommend it!

Books I Can Highly Recommend:

7. Mindset by Carol Dweck

8. Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon

In My Blog Reader

9. 11 Things I Wish Every Parent Knew – That spiritual teacher thing is so completely spot on, I just had to share.

10. Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee The latest episode is with SNL cutie, Seth Meyers. He is adorable. Also, the Alec Baldwin episode made me laugh so hard I cried.

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Do you wish you could end the school year feeling as energized as you started it?

Is recovering from the school year going to take most of your summer?

Are you ready to press reset but have no idea where that button is?

The Healthy, Happy, Sane Teacher: Sustainable Self-Care for A Successful School Year is that reset button.

Class starts in September – just in time for the new school year. Click here to register.

Image Source:Ellen chillin in my hammock by jmayer1129 on Flickr (cc)

Making the Most of Summer Break: Halfway Check In

Posted on July 25, 2013 by Teacher Goes Back to School

Oh my goodness, friends, I just realized we have hit the halfway mark for summer break 2013. *gulp*

It’s both good and bad news. I’ll leave the bad news up to you, but the good news is there is still time to make some summer break plans to learn, to do and to read.

Have you made your list of things to learn, to do and to read yet?

Here’s my update:

Summer of Intentionality 2013:

Things I Want to Learn:

Skype – – I have used it and am LOVING IT! It feels nothing short of a miracle every time it works. My dad asked me a “technical” question about how Skype works the other day on a video chat and my answer was “It’s magic!” and that pretty much sums up how I feel about the whole thing. I totally wish I would have started using it earlier.

Hootsuite – I’ll just say there is still time in the summer for me to give it a go.

Movie Maker – I’ve been playing around with camera placement, lighting and getting ideas together. Look for some new videos from me in the next few months.

Student Motivation – I am so excited to be learning about the research behind motivation. More on that below.

Things I Want to Do:

My Activities:

Yoga class twice a week at It’s All Yoga – a work in progress! I’m going to class more than I have been in the last couple months, but not making that twice a week goal. Something to work on.

Daily restorative yoga – dude. I need to get on this one.

Manicure – Must schedule appointment.

Pedicure – Must schedule appointment. Is this a good time to talk about my fear of getting oglies from getting a pedicure? Because I really think that is what is holding me back.

Foot massage -Someone may need to hold my hand on this one.

90 Minute full body massage July AND August appointments are on the books.

Road trip to see Rhett Miller with friends. Show tickets are purchased. Now we need to rent a car and find good places to sleep. I may also try to convince my friend to go to a restorative yoga class in SF.

Ride my bike for errands. – Dude, where’s my bike?

Nap in a hammock.- The hammock has been put together and has clocked lots of reading hours. The cat and the kid fight over who gets to try to knock me off. Needless to say, I may have to switch this from napping to reading. Just for safety if nothing else.

Make pie. Good god, I love pie. – So many pies have been made and consumed this summer.

Family activities:

Visit Minnesota grandparents – DONE

Visit Bay Area grandparents – DONE several times!

Visit Mendo County grandparents – in the scheduling process.

Visit Portland friends – they are coming here instead of me going there. Two on the books.

Visit the swimming pool several times a week as a family – Best.Idea.Ever. We’ve been meeting another family there for dinner and swimming more nights and it is simply the best. I’m going to be sad when summer ends.

Ride bikes as a family. – I am not even sure where my bike is at this point.

Go to the farmer’s market together. – So far it’s been teams of two, not three, but we go several times a week.

Cook outside at the pool and eat dinner there. – We haven’t cooked there, but we’ve brought lots of picnic food with us. I love summer food! Especially when it is shared with good friends.

Fruit picking – DONE

Late add: Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge – on the schedule

Late add: Tuesday Night BBQ – on the schedule

Things I Want to Read:

Complete the summer reading program at the library.

Just Kids by Patti Smith – It was so different than what I thought it was going to be I have to say I was just surprised. I liked it, not loved it. I learned a lot, but completely different stuff than I had anticipated.

Mindful Teaching and Teaching Mindfulness – I have it, but haven’t started it yet.

Steal Like An Artist – by Austin Kleon. I reviewed it here.

Uncertainty by Jonathan Fields – I have it, but haven’t started it yet.

Mindset by Carol Dweck – I’m almost finished with it and if I have seen you in person recently I’ve told you to read it. Can’t wait to tell you more about it.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – I’m on page 556 and I’m still in, so it must be good.

That’s my mid summer update!

How are you making the most of what’s left of summer break?

Ten Things I Loved In June 2013

Posted on July 2, 2013 by Teacher Goes Back to School

Ten Things I Loved In June

Things I/We Did

1. School’s Out for Summer! Having a teacher husband makes for super sweet summer break times. Can you say spontaneous family road trips to the Bay Area when it gets to be 100 degrees?

Also not really knowing the days of the week is kind of awesome.

2. Swimming pool business meetings. Possibly the best thing that has ever happened. I love talking business and I love standing in a swimming pool on a hot day. Yup, standing. A glorious combination.

Also recommended: reading whilst standing in a swimming pool.

3. Curvy Yoga Certification, baby! In case you haven’t heard, I completed my Curvy Yoga certification. I’m busy setting up some yoga for all bodies workshops and scheduling one-on-one sessions. If this is something you are interested in, contact me as soon as possible to get on the schedule!

4. Roamed rural Minnesota for a week with the grandparents. We played endless games of cards and board games, got schooled hard in ladder ball, ate popsicles on the deck, got chewed on by mosquitoes, caught lots of fish, cruised the lake on the boat with the two-year old driving (with grandpa), continuously ate crackers on all the flights (baby) and pretty much unplugged for a whole week (mama). All in all a seriously excellent trip. Hooray for Minnesota!

5. Escaped the blisteringly hot valley into the cool Bay Area – two weekends in a row. Point Isabel, Tilden Botanical Gardens, Redwood Valley Railway (aka Steam trains in Tilden), Fernandez Park, Cheese Park (LaMoine), Cordenesis Park…. love, love, love them all. Thank goodness for living so close to the Bay.

Products and Services I Dug:

6. PicMonkey. I love this service. You can do so much photo fun stuff for free. If you haven’t tried it yet, do it.

7. Feedly. With one click of a button in a Dairy Queen parking lot I was able to transfer my entire Google Reader(RIP) blog roll. That’s some service!

8. Windows Movie Maker. Have I mentioned the yoga video part of The Healthy, Happy, Sane Teacher program? No? That’s because I wasn’t sure how to make it a reality until I downloaded this program. Can you say totally intuitive and ridiculously easy to use?

In My Blog Reader

9. The Healthy, Happy, Sane Teacher is having an Independence Day Sale! Rosie said it best:

The Healthy, Happy, Sane Teacher is the program we both needed most when we were teachers trying to navigate lesson plans and life plans and coming up short on the life part over and over and over again. We know that we aren’t the only teachers who put themselves last in order to put everything else in their school building first. And we also know, even though we didn’t back then, that it doesn’t have to be that way. You can still totally kill it in the classroom without killing yourself.

10. .What To Do When People Disappoint You (Or Act Like A-holes or Dillwads) by my favorite, Yes and Yes.

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Are you a teacher or know one who loves teaching, but wants to have more work balance in their life? Have you heard about The Healthy, Happy, Sane Teacher: Sustainable Self-Care for A Successful School Year? Check it out!

Image Source: v3 original of me and my kid playing at the park.

Making The Most of Summer Break: Summer of Intentionality

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Teacher Goes Back to School

Like most teachers, I look forward to summer break with the passion of a thousand burning suns. Free time, precious free time – to think, read, travel, plan for my next school year, do some professional development, basically restore my body and my brain.

Or fall down the internet rabbit hole and wonder where all my free time went.

Does that ever happen to you? Has summer break slipped by without learning anything new, reading anything interesting or doing anything fun (or at least productive)?

So in order to combat summer break regret, I’ve started following Rosie’s lead by writing a Summer of Intentionality List that includes things I want to learn, books I want to read and things I want to do.

My husband is also a teacher, so I get the pleasure of spending my break with my sweetheart and two year old in tow.

Without further ado, here’s my list.

Summer of Intentionality 2013:

Things I Want to Learn:

Skype – This has been on my list the last few years. And yes, this is the summer to make it happen. Want to chat? Hold my hand?

Hootsuite – I love me some social media and I love me some being away from my computer. Enter Hootsuite, the perfect way to make sure I’m giving you the posts you are looking for and while still playing at the pool. I’ll definitely still be on social media, I just need a strategy and a plan.

Movie Maker – shooting and editing video have been completely out of my comfort zone and yet it is time. (I’ve already started – check out my very first video ever.)

Student Motivation – I am curious to do some research how kids learn and what motivates some to work really hard. See below for one of the books I want to read to help me figure this out.

Things I Want to Do:

My Activities:

Yoga class twice a week at It’s All Yoga – yes, I finally have a home practice. I go to class for ideas, the support and the connection. I absolutely adore these people.

Daily restorative yoga – one pose every day to keep the stress monster away. Want to do this too? Try this or this. It will change your life.

Manicure – I haven’t painted my nails in years because I simply don’t think about it and I spend a lot of time on the playground. Sometimes I see other women with pretty nails and think I would like some of that too. Gift card for my birthday? And now I’ll have fancy nails too.

Pedicure – Get one. You know how I know I’m taking good care of myself? By how well I’m taking care of my feet. At home foot massage, daily moisturizing, rolling on a tennis ball, wearing shoes that aren’t flip flops plus a professional pedicure will help me have happy feet.

Foot massage – I am still unclear how I feel about this. Self-care or self-punishment? Jury is still out.

90 Minute full body massage each month. I’ve already done June and can’t wait for July.

Road trip to see Rhett Miller with friends.

Ride my bike for errands. Sacramento is super bike friendly in my neighborhood.

Nap in a hammock. I bought a hammock! I bought a hammock! Now I just need someone to put it together.

Make pie. Good god, I love pie.

Family activities:

Visit Minnesota grandparents.

Visit Bay Area grandparents.

Visit Mendo County grandparents.

Visit Portland friends.

Visit the swimming pool several times a week as a family.

Ride bikes as a family.

Go to the farmer’s market together.

Cook outside at the pool and eat dinner there.

Fruit picking – DONE!

Things I Want to Read:

Complete the summer reading program at the library.

What would you like to learn, do and read this summer?

Image source: parasol by Blancalala on Flickr (cc)

Introducing The Healthy, Happy, Sane Teacher

Posted on May 29, 2013 by Teacher Goes Back to School

Hey Rock Star Teacher!

Did your school year recently end and you are still trying to figure out what just happened to you?

Are you wondering how you got it all done because you can’t remember one second of doing it?

Is recovering from the school year going to take most of your summer?

Do you wish you could end the school year feeling as energized as you started it?

Have you already declared this the summer to finally figure out how to do things in a way that doesn’t drain you all year long?

Are you ready to press reset but have no idea where that button is?

Look no further. We’ve got the button.

The Healthy, Happy, Sane Teacher: Sustainable Self-Care for a Successful School Year is what you need to make teaching joyful, next school year delightful, and living a balanced life not just possible but in your control.

Join me, Tami Hackbarth, and Rosie Molinary, two former teachers trying to save you from the error of our ways, and a group of other committed Rock Star teachers in a virtual workshop experience to crush the things that hold you back, learn what will move you forward, and create an action plan that will make you healthy, happy, and sane while upping the magic you already deliver in the classroom.

We are starting a movement to empower teachers to claim their self-care and live more balanced and healthy lives.

The bonus? Nothing suffers—not your personal life and not your professional life. In fact, it will actually make you an even bigger rock star at your school while making you happier at home.

We know what you are going through and we have been there, done that with all the “solutions” that actually made things worse. Now, we have actually figured out what makes things better and we don’t want to keep those secrets to ourselves. That’s why we are sharing them with you this summer in

The Healthy, Happy, Sane Teacher: Sustainable Self-Care For a Successful School Year.

Imagine having teaching veterans walk you through best practices for self-care, letting go of the pressure for perfection, understanding how to name and claim your intentions, checking in with yourself when things get tough so you know how to tweak things, understanding what boundaries to set and how to set them, and the power of claiming your life.

Imagine having a thoughtful group of like-minded people with whom to share your experiences and dreams as you move past exhaustion and overwhelm and into expansion and possibility.

Imagine inspiring guidance that actually has you lay out a plan now so that you can actually do less with more when next school year starts.

We are offering you five weeks of powerful learning, action taking, and life changing reflection because, while it wasn’t covered in your certification program, it is what you most need to sustain yourself as a teacher.

What is The Healthy, Happy, Sane Teacher?

HHST is a five-week virtual workshop experience for passionate teachers who do so much brilliantly but are looking for a way to continue to be brilliant while not working SO hard.

It will be fun. It will be clear. It will be a wonderful community. And it will be just what you need to create a lesson plan for you to teach and work in a way that allows you to live and enjoy all of your life.

What would it feel like to know that you can start next school year with all of that hope and none of the dread?

Wouldn’t that be amazing?

It is time.

You are ready to be a healthy, happy, sane teacher if…

You are ready to be honest with yourself.

You are ready to do things differently.

You are ready to keep your promise to yourself.

You are ready to allow less effort to actually create more success.

You are ready to prioritize your own care.

You are ready to create and live the life you have imagined.

The Schedule

There are 2 Healthy, Happy, Sane Teacher Sessions.

Pick the one that is best for you!

Session 1 runs Thursdays, July 11th through August 8th from 12 pm until 1pm EST/ 9 am until 10 am PST.

Session 2 runs Thursdays, July 25th through August 22nd from 8 pm until 9 pm EST/ 5 pm until 6 pm PST.

What’s Included?

5 Illuminating Phone Workshops- Weekly one- hour phone calls on a conference call line where we’ll provide powerful guidance for you on creating a healthy, happy, sane life and map out the steps for the action plan you will be creating and putting into place.

5 Empowering Emails- Weekly inbox wisdom to guide you in your healthy, happy, sane process.

5 Powerful workbooks- Weekly workbooks landing in your inbox with all the exercises you need to create you healthy, happy, sane life action plan and the guidance to help you put it all in motion.

A Private Facebook Group- This group will provide you with accountability and encouragement as you embark on this journey to create the professional and personal life that you desire.

Are you ready to change your teaching life so you can change your whole life? Are you ready to be a healthy, happy, sane teacher?

Register now for Session 1 or Session 2.

$149 but get it for the early bird rate of $97 until June 15th and act fast because group size is limited in both sessions!

Ten Things I Loved in April 2013

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Teacher Goes Back to School

Ten Things I Loved In April

Things I/We Did

1. Pixie! Good god, I love a dramatic before and after. Don’t you? My hair was getting so long and was constantly being pulled into a messy pony tail. Not exactly the look I was going for. Now I feel like I look like myself again. Weird, but true. If you are in need of a hair make over, my best girl Tari, is your gal. She is an artist.

2. Showed up for a friend. Have you ever thought your presence might not matter? I’m here to tell you it does. The look on my heartbroken friend’s face when I showed up after her brother’s funeral made the long drive worth it. I couldn’t not go, you know? Being there for friends sometimes means actually being there.

3. Spontaneous road/day trip to Lake Tahoe. Can you say beautiful? Oh my goodness, I was reminded how much pine trees and mountain air contribute to my happiness. Bonus being there with one of my besties who jumped right into the chase the toddler game.

4. Dramatically improved the quality of my sleep. My ridiculously expensive night guard from the dentist got fixed this month and I started wearing it consistently and I have been experiencing the deepest, most restful sleep possibly of my entire life as a result. Honestly, I thought they were full of it, but this is the real deal. My jaw feels great when I wake up and I’m so much better rested. Who knew?

5. Restorative yoga class, as in I took one. 75 delicious minutes of fully supported relaxation. Perfection.

Products and Services I Dug:

6. Tari at Parlour By The Park. My girl, Tari, always works magic with my hair. She can do the same for you. If you’re looking to update your look or completely change it up (maybe even cut it all off!), Tari can make you look better than you thought possible. Give her a call. She’s works some serious magic.

7. SwapAsana at It’s All Yoga. We swap clothes, shoes and accessories twice a year; once in April and again in October. I always score tons of cute stuff and other people tell me they love bringing my stuff home, so it’s a win/win. If you’re interested in coming to the next SwapAsana, be sure to follow It’s All Yoga on Facebook. And if you life outside of Sacramento, you can always host a swap of your own. It’s way less work than you’d think.

8. Cozi.com. I missed an eyebrow appointment and we had a parent double booking this month. Clearly, it was time we started using a family calendar. Cozi came recommended from Hollee at Good Enough is the New Perfect and Asha from Parenthacks – so we decided to try it. This free app is pretty much changing our lives. No more missed appointments, double booked parents or forgotten shopping lists.

In My Blog Reader

9. Thug Kitchen. A perfect blend of easy vegan cuisine and filthy language. I wish I would have thought of this! If you have ever spoken to me in the reals (and are not a child), you have heard an f-bomb of seven fall from my lips. What can I say? I swear like a limited vocabulary sailor. Dairy free fo life!

10. Ditch the Haters from Brittany and Tahn. So much wisdom and vulnerability to learn from here. So happy to hear not only did she turn down the date with the cute, mean guy, but told him why. Change your story, change your life indeed.

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Image Source: Meadow, 05/1972. by The U.S. National Archives on Flickr

Ten Things I Loved in March 2013

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Teacher Goes Back to School

Ten Things I Loved In March

Things I/We Did

1. Hung out with Rock Stars. Specifically, paid to see Rhett Miller play at Yoshi’s in SF, only to find Chris Isaak in the audience. Chatted pleasantly with both like it was no big deal.

2. Sang songs with Old People. Inspired by a repeated viewing of Lost in Translation, I invited a bunch of friends to come sing karaoke with me for my birthday. At 3 in the afternoon. With my 2 year old. Good, good times were had by all.

3. Pressed send on my first speaking proposal. Eek! And how exciting!

4. 15 Minute Mini Vacation – and I didn’t even have to leave my house.

Products and Services I Dug:

5. Yoriginality workshop with Anna Guest-Jelly of Curvy Yoga and Alexandra Franzen. Holy helpful, Batman! If you teach yoga, you’ve got to take this workshop.

6. Solution Session with Sarah Von Bargen. So helpful, professional and kind.

7. Blue Moon Cafe and Karaoke private rooms, good microphones, wide selection of sing along songs. Plus beer, french fries and chow fun! Also: karaoke happy hour prices in the afternoon.

On The Bookshelf

8. Minimalist Parenting by Asha Dornfest and Christine Koh. I reviewed it here. I already want to read it again.

9. Raising Your Spirited Child by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka – another one of those parenting books that would help every classroom teacher manage their classes better. A must read for parents and teachers. You also may find out a bit about yourself, I know I did.

10. How to Love More by Caring Less by Martha Beck. I read this in an old issue of O Magazine and decided I wanted to share it with you. I’m still pondering. What do you think?

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Image Source: Love is all around: 8×10 Fine Art … by MarianneLoMonaco on Etsy

Ten Things I Loved In January

Posted on January 31, 2013 by Teacher Goes Back to School

Taking time each month to reflect on the good stuff has done wonders for my ability to actually stop and notice the good stuff. I’m truly thankful for Rosie’s inspiration.

Ten Things I Loved In January

Things I/We Did

1. Introduced the girl to Sesame Street and the rest of the gang on Sprout. She was sick, it was cold. I got ~~sick~~ super anxious, it was cold. Mostly I liked how she walked around, played with toys and checked it once in a while. She liked the musical numbers best. Good for dancing.

2. Watched the Inauguration and totally cried. Ruby danced with the Obamas, clapped with the audience and waved at the President and First Lady. She totally cracked me up. She is so good at TV.

3. Brunched at home. New Year’s Day Crepe Party AND a Waffle Party. Once I decided brunches were easier and better than dinner parties with a toddler, we’ve been eating a lot more with friends. Take it from me, forget dinner and bust out your waffle iron.

4. Connected. I left blog comments, made and received phone calls, sent texts, took walks, coordinated play dates, dined with out-of-town visitors, and we visited out-of-town friends.

On The Plate

5. Baked Honey Oatmeal with Raspberries and Pistachios

6. Minestrone soup

On The Bookshelf

7. The Hunger Games. You guys! This was so good! Like for real. It kept me up past my bedtime several times and gave me a night of insomnia brought on by my excellent survival empathy skills.

8. A Short Guide to A Good Life by Anna Quinlan – Truth in advertising. Very short and also a good life.

9. Dads Are the Original Hipsters by Brad Getty. – I laughed. Hard. A lot. Not rocket science (like any of my picks are), but entertaining.

10. Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets. What can I say? I’m hooked. (PS – I am totally reading all the Hunger Games sequels next even though I heard they are in no way as good as the first. Thoughts you care to share?)

BONUS BOOKS!

11. The $100 Start Up by Chris Guillebeau

12. Vegan Diner: Classic Comfort Food For the Body and Soul by Julie Hasson.

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Word for 2013

Posted on January 1, 2013 by Teacher Goes Back to School

This time of year, a lot of people are setting intentions and making resolutions, myself included most years. As it turns out, I’m less good at resolutions than one would like. So rather than doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result, I’ve decided to try something different.

This year I’ve decided to go with a single feeling/theme I would like to cultivate in my life and not just another list of do’s and don’ts.

This feeling idea had been floating around in my head all month and was solidified when I overheard some yogi friends talking on Twitter about their year words {listening and compassion}, when Ashlee posted hers, Amy posted hers and Rosie posted this.

The feeling I most want to cultivate this new year is CONNECTION.

Connection – just the word brings up warm and fuzzy feelings for me. I am imaging a year full of new holiday traditions, lots of hugs and hand holding, cooking and eating with friends, snuggles under the covers with books and movies, book club meetings, phone/Skype dates, road trips/vacations, meeting friends for tea, lunch and movies, communing with nature as much as possible and finding time on my mat just being quiet.

What about you? What comes to mind when you hear the word CONNECTION? What word or theme speaks to you this year?

Image source: We Heart It

Ten Things I Loved In December

Posted on December 31, 2012 by Teacher Goes Back to School

Taking time each month to reflect on the good stuff has done wonders for my ability to actually stop and notice the good stuff. I’m truly thankful for Rosie’s inspiration.

Ten Things I Loved In December

Things I/We Did

1. Celebrated our tiny girl’s 2nd birthday. She is growing up! I know, I know, enjoy it while I can. But I really felt like she was one FOREVER, so I am happy to report she has made it to two. Love this girl with my whole heart and at least part of yours.

2. Reconnected with friends from junior high. A couple of times a year for the past few years a group of us from Juan Crespi Junior Hugh School get together for some reminiscing and general wacky good times. This time was family fun day in our home town – El Sob#1 – for burgers at The Original Red Onion and playing at Cheese Park.

3. Celebrated good news on the legal and health fronts.

4. Visited the Sacramento Zoo on Christmas Eve. We have a family tradition!

5. Reveled in the brilliance that is Yoga for Holiday Stress with Madeleine Lohman at It’s All Yoga. People, I have shared in the past that I am not really friends with the holiday season. However, since starting this yearly tradition {three years running!}, I now have a new found affection for the holiday season.

The secret, it would seem, is to make friends with the season and do the seasonal things that makes you smile. Not your mom, not your crazy sister — you.

Who knew?

6. Played in the California State Capitol Building and danced in front of the state menorah and Christmas tree. The running, jumping and testing the acoustics in the Capitol happened spontaneously, but man, that was the most fun I’d ever had in there.

7. Purged closets, drawers and baskets. I absolutely love getting rid of stuff. Especially other people’s stuff. Good thing I have a little kid and can go through her stuff. The husband is less excited about me getting rid of his stuff, but I’m working on it.

In all seriousness, I asked for permission to get rid of anything I wanted for Christmas.

He did not bite.

This time.

Not to worry, friends! My birthday is right around the corner and I think I’ll ask again.

On The Plate

8. Daily green smoothies. I am in the midst of a 5 week Holiday Wellness Challenge with Nikki over at Mindful Moms Holistics

9. Burger, fries and onion rings at The Original Red Onion. {burp!}

On The Bookshelf

10. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – by JK Rowling. I previously believed I had no interest in these books. Two teacher friends convinced me to give it a try and I absolutely loved it! I’ve already reserved the second book and watched the movie.

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My friend, Rosie Molinary, made a list and I loved hers so much I stole her idea. Now I’ve been inspired to pause and notice the good stuff each month.

Ten Things I Loved In October

Posted on November 1, 2012 by Teacher Goes Back to School

Taking time each month to reflect on the good stuff has done wonders for my ability to actually stop and notice the good stuff. I’m truly thankful for Rosie’s inspiration.

Ten Things I Loved In October

Things I/We Did

1. Celebrated one year as a family. Day off from work, breakfast out, haircut for baby, playground with mama AND papa, a long nap, and massages for the grown ups.

2. I gave up my beloved gym membership and during my 30 days notice period, I actually went to the gym. Oh the irony.

3. SwapAsana! Free clothes and great conversation with cool women in a beautiful venue? So much fun.

4. I had a massage. I was reminded why I used to get regular massages and how I need to get them back on my schedule. Magic fingers!

5. Saw so many friends. Happy hour! Movies! Dinner parties! Brunches! Playground dates! Walks! I want more friend dates. Call me greedy, but the more time I spend with inspiring, funny women friends, the more I want.

On The Plate

6. Pasta with Baby Broccoli and Lemon Garlic Sauce

7. Vegan chocolate chip cookie bars. We had to give most of them to our neighbors and friends because they were so delicious we sort of made ourselves sick.

On The Bookshelf – such a great reading month.

8. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain

9. MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search for a New Best Friend by Rachel Bertsche

10. Happier At Home by Gretchen Rubin

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My friend, Rosie Molinary, made a list and I loved hers so much I stole her idea. Now I’ve been inspired to pause and notice the good stuff each month.

How {and why} to Hold A Clothing Swap

Posted on October 12, 2012 by Teacher Goes Back to School

For the past few years, I’ve been involved with organizing a women’s clothing swap twice a year at It’s All Yoga, the yoga studio where I teach, and recently I’ve been asked to explain how and why we do it.

What Is A Clothing Swap?

It’s a get together with friends, clients, students with the purpose of trading gently used items (clothes, shoes and accessories) with others.

Wardrobes are remade and friendships begin with chatting over tables while in search of that perfect new-to-you outfit. I have connected with friends and students while building a new seasonable wardrobe.

Why Hold A Clothing Swap:

1. It’s fun.

2. It’s an environmentally and budget friendly way to build a new wardrobe for yourself while helping someone else build theirs.

3. The clothes and shoes that mock you from the closet because they were expensive, but just not quite right, usually can find a new home with someone you know, thus making everyone happy.

4. We raise a bunch of funds for a local charity and donate all the unclaimed items for them to sell in their shop.

5. We get to finally talk to the lovely people on the mats next to ours! Teachers and students interacting with each other in a super friendly environment is a great way to help everyone feel like they belong to the IAY community.

6. Friends bring friends and we usually leave SwapAsana with new to us clothes and connections with people we wouldn’t have otherwise made.

How To Hold A Clothing Swap:

My friend Amy hosted a swap party at her house this summer with a couple of girlfriends and wrote a post about it. I totally scored in the sweater and dress department and got to taste Joy The Baker’s famous Simple Vegan Chocolate Cake. All in all, a great night!

In my research I also found this post and this comprehensive guide.

At It’s All Yoga’s SwapAsana, we put half of the goods on tables at the beginning and take a break midway. We use the free-for-all method and most people take what looks best and leave the rest. There is one group of swappers who try things on together and decide who brings the item home based on who it most flatters. Team work at its finest!

If you are interested in hosting a swap party, I definitely recommend going to someone else’s party first. I did and fell in love! Thanks, Stitch Swap!

It’s All Yoga’s bi-annual SwapAsana is this Sunday, October 14th at the studio in Midtown Sacramento. Feel free to come by!

Have you ever hosted/attended a swap? What was your experience?

Image 1 source

A Challenge: Claim Your Care and A Wellness Prescription

Posted on December 1, 2011 by Teacher Goes Back to School

I’ve always had trouble with the holidays. Even as a child, I wasn’t that enthusiastic about them. Yes, I liked the presents part and some of the traditions and routines, but given I am such a creature of comfort and regularity, they tended to take their toll on me.

The rich food made it hard to sleep.

All the people made it hard to sleep.

Are you noticing a theme here?

Generally the loss of routine care got lost in the excitement.

As an adult, I’ve tended to be quite ill during the holidays. Colds, flu, respiratory infections.

Too much stress?

Too much food?

Not enough self-care?

I’m not quite sure of the answer, but I’ve made changes the last couple years to make the month of December more enjoyable {or at least more tolerable}.

This year, I will live with intention to truly take care of myself.

Starting in December, I’m following Rosie’s lead and making myself a wellness prescription and claiming my care.

Specifically I will:

Attend every session of Madeleine’s Yoga for Holiday Stress – translation: yoga class FOUR times in December!

First thing in the morning, a walk with Ruby – at least 30 minutes

Using Madeleine’s Manuel as a guide, I’ll consult my book of me when I’m out of sorts and try to solve my problem.

Back to the weight room twice a week – 20 minutes is all I need.

Soak, steam, sauna at least once a week – the Church of Quiet awaits.

Water, Emergen-C, multivitamin and vitamin D daily.

Listen to music – such a pleasure in my life and yet I need a reminder to do this.

Connect with my spouse – even if for just a 5 minute hug {Do you do this? If not, try it}.

A fruit and a veggie at every meal – remembering if I’m not hungry enough for an apple, I’m not really that hungry.

Minimize processed foods.

Keeping dairy out of my body – that means no cookies, no cake, no desserts unless they are vegan. {ps – I’m not saying you, dear reader, must say dairy-free, I must}.

Reading for pleasure – from a book or magazine – every day.

Schedule a massage {or two} before the end of the year.

Sleeping at least 7 hours at night – even if that means missing a turn or two in Words With Friends and going to sleep before 10.

Being with friends – in person, if possible – seriously, if we don’t have a date already let’s get something scheduled STAT.

What would be on your prescription for wellness? How would you claim your care?

Attitude of Gratitude Re-Cap

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Teacher Goes Back to School

Day 1 – thankful for Ruby and adoption for making us a family.

Day 2 – thankful for Jed – best husband and father.

Day 3 – thankful for sometimes waking up before the baby.

Day 4 – thankful for books. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t read and watching Ruby play with hers is the best gift.

Day 5 – thankful for healthcare coverage for my entire family and a clean bill of health for all.

Day 6 – thankful for sweater dresses and boot socks.

Day 7 – so thankful for my It’s All Yoga family.

Day 8 – thankful for generous friends.

Day 9 – thankful for a union job and parental leave so we can be at home to bond with our baby without worrying about our jobs.

Day 10 – thankful for massage.

Day 11 – thankful for the people in the armed services and their dedicated service to this country.

Day 12 – thankful for social media because it keeps me in touch with the outside world.

Day 13 – thankful for year round farmer’s markets.

Day 14 – thankful for long, hot baths after the baby goes to sleep.

Day 15 – thankful for music that inspires me to sing out loud.

Day 16 – thankful for the restorative powers of showers.

Day 17 – thankful for uninterrupted sleep in a way I never dreamed possible.

Day 18 – thankful for daily account summaries from my bank which remind me I’m not completely broke.

Day 19 – thankful for warm cozy blankets for naps on cool days.

Day 20 – thankful for central heat (and air).

Day 21 – thankful for early morning walks with lovely friends.

Day 22 – thankful for all the blogs I read and the Google Reader to keep them organized.

Day 23 – thankful for my yoga props: bolster, eye bag, strap, blankets, mat.

Day 24 – thankful for Ruby’s birth family. Our family wouldn’t be complete without their generosity.

Day 25 – thankful for the middle path.

Day 26 – thankful for whole days with nothing planned.

Day 27 – thankful for free shipping.

Day 28 – thankful for our house cleaning fairies.

Day 29 – thankful for YOU, my readers.

Day 30 – thankful for It’s All Yoga for the Attitude of Gratitude inspiration.

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A special thank you to Amy Shearn over at The Oprah Life Life blog for the Attitude of Gratitude post.

Want to see where it all started?

What are you thankful for?

Happy Haul-idays Giveaway from Chronicle Books

Posted on November 21, 2011 by Teacher Goes Back to School

Dear TGBTS friends,

I love books.

You love books.

We love charities and they love books.

So let’s try to win this thing, shall we?

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Here’s how it works.

I post my my whole list favorite Chronicle Books here.

I tell you about the charity I’d like to donate to and why.

You comment, we tweet, we (hopefully) win.

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My charity is my favorite branch of the Sacramento Public Library – Ella K. McClatchy.

I choose this branch because it is my home away from home and could always use more new books. McClatchy truly serves as a community meeting place and I hope to help it grow its collection.

Is this a good time to tell you ONE LUCKY COMMENTER also wins my book list?

Say whaa?

Yep, one of YOU wins the whole lot.

Plus my charity wins $500 in books of their choice.

Sounds good, huh?

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A select few BOOKS!

The complete list is HERE.

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In order to be eligible to win my haul of books, please click on the whole list above and leave a comment about which book is your favorite and why.

Are you on Twitter? Please tweet about my our list using the hashtag #happyhaulidays and we get an extra entry per day. So be sure to tweet away every day!

Good luck to all of us!

43 Things Before 43

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Teacher Goes Back to School

{via}

For months I’ve been reading about other people’s Life Lists and wondering if I could ever make one without driving myself crazy with all the achieving and in-my-head competition.

Would my list be cool enough?

Would I really do everything I said I would?

What huge adventures await?

Inspired by Rosie’s birthday list, Sarah’s try new things before her birthday list and Amy’s Life List, I’ve decided to put together a list of things I would like to do before I turn 43.

Why 43 instead of 42?

My birthday is in 4 months and I don’t want to hurt myself getting it all done before then. My list is l-o-n-g, makes me think I needed to start this thing in my 20s.

My intention with this list is to remind myself to have more fun, take care of myself and to do things out of the ordinary.

I’ll keep you posted on my progress.

The List:

1. Take my birthday (March 20th) off – no work, no obligations – just fun.

2. Take an anti-gravity yoga class.

3. Road trip to Portland with Ruby.

4. Take Ruby to see live music.

5. Read 43 books.

6. Put my feet in the ocean with Ruby.

7. Pick berries.

8. Go on retreat.

9. Teach an active yoga class.

10. Go to the movies by myself. {Yep, I’ve never done this. I have, however, gone to a rock show on my own so don’t feel too sorry for me.}

11. Attend a service at a Universal Unitarian church.

12. Explore the Taiwanese culture in Sacramento.

13. Learn 10 words/phrases in Mandarin.

14. Run a 5K.

15. Write a fan letter.

16. Rent a house at the coast or in the mountains.

17. Teach a class on social media and blogging to teachers.

18. Sleep outside.

19. Do a swim workout.

20. Watch my first students graduate from high school.

21. Spend a week away from the Internet.

22. See a play.

23. Go to a sing along at the Crest.

24. Take a photography class.

25. Take a cooking class.

26. Take a private yoga class.

27. Actually make something I’ve pinned on Pinterest.

28. Go to the ballet.

29. Have a family portrait taken.

30. Watch a movie outside in the backyard.

31. Take Ruby on a hike.

32. Help a friend start a blog.

33. Build an outdoor shower.

34. Make a wall of bookshelves in the dining room.

35. Redesign the entryway and make it pretty and useful.

36. Start a mom/play group in Midtown.

37. Teach a class at my gym.

38. Organize the pantry.

39. Get rid of all the shoes I don’t wear because they are uncomfortable.

40. Take a nap in a hammock.

41. Host a baby shower.

42. Take a photo every day.

43. Make the Book of Me into a book.

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Do you make yearly plans? A Life List? Would you like to?

I’d love to hear about yours.

And I’d love for you to join me in making my list a reality. Please let me know if you’d like to do any of my 43 with me.

Fall Swap Asana!

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Teacher Goes Back to School

Women of Sacramento – Swap Asana {It’s All Yoga’s twice yearly clothing swap} is THIS SATURDAY!

Who: You, me, other awesome women looking for new-to-us wardrobe pieces

Admission: $5 and 1 piece of clothing gets you in. Take home all you like. Donations and unclaimed items go to WEAVE.

What: Clothing swap – gently used women’s clothes, shoes, accessories

When: Saturday, November 12th 2-4pm

Where: It’s All Yoga – 21st and X Streets – Sacramento, CA

Will you be there? EVERY size will be represented, so come on out.

Attitude of Gratitude

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Teacher Goes Back to School

On Tuesday It’s All Yoga posted on Facebook:

For the month of November, we’re launching an Attitude of Gratitude campaign. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, you’re invited to dedicate one Facebook update per week to write what you’re thankful for.

We’ll go first: “We’re thankful for the beautiful ginkgo trees in front of the studio whose butterfly leaves will turn their signature golden yellow in just a couple of weeks. (It’s All Yoga Attitude of Gratitude)”

What do you say, will you join us in cultivating an Attitude of Gratitude? Be sure to tag It’s All Yoga in your posts so we can “hear” you. :)

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Well, I misread that as sharing what you are thankful for EVERY DAY. I guess the Twitter #30DaysofThankfulness hashtag seeped into my brain and now I’m in.

Ever since reading Gretchen Rubin’s Happiness Project {3 times!} I’ve kept a one sentence journal. While I don’t write in it every day, when I do go back and reread it I am once again filled with gratitude.

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At the end of the month I think I’ll compile my list and publish as one post. For now, I’m posting daily on Twitter and on Facebook.

Want to join me? Just post to Facebook or Twitter and be sure to tag me.

Happy November!

A Peek Behind the Computer Screen

Posted on October 17, 2010 by Teacher Goes Back to School

Lucky me got to spend Friday evening with Just A Titch and Blogasana – two of my favorite Sacramento bloggers.

After teaching YogaNap at It’s All Yoga and then falling into a post-teaching-blissed-out-Yin-state facilitated by the lovely Michelle, we hopped into my trusty blue Prius and made our way over to Amy’s newish Sacramento digs {it really is that cute}.

We drank wine from Michelle’s Wine of the Month Club {who knew?}, ate tasty snacks and the laughing began.

First up, reminiscing about Double Rainbows and their ah-maz-ing-ness.

Then we talked about our favorite blogs:

Havi Brooks – Fluent Self

My favorite post from the week – Let’s Try Something Different Today

Gwen Bell – Big Love In A Small World

Kyla Roma – Daydreams from a Handmade Prairie Life

Danielle LaPorte White Hot Truth

Gretchen Rubin – Happiness Project

I borrowed this book from Amy and tried not to peek at it while we were talking.

Dear readers, please know you’ll never have to read about what I ate for lunch. Unless of course, it’s sharing a recipe.

We discovered our mutual love for the images on We Heart It and joked about how I could get my readers to click the links in my posts.

Look forward to an upcoming photo of a gun pointed to a lovely 20-something half-dressed woman’s head. Please note she will have an exposed breast and bloody nose, holding a lit cigarette.

At least it will if we find it on We Heart It.

I kid, of course.

But FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, PLEASE CLICK THE LINKS ALREADY PEOPLE!

{thank you in advance}.

Twitter talk ensued.

I confessed to learning about Twitter from Rhett Miller.

They both laughed at my superfandom.

We talked about how we love Twitter because we like to know what people are actually doing during their day, how there is a fine line between witty and too witty, and all the people we love to follow {personal faves: @naomidunford, @yisforyogini, @sophieandlili, @bowsandsparrows, @4thgrdteach and of course @rhettmiller }

Did I mention the laughing?

And there it is… a peek behind the computer screen.

Out of My Comfort Zone, Right into the Spotlight

Posted on June 6, 2010 by Teacher Goes Back to School

When was the last time you really left your comfort zone?

I’m not sure why, but I’ve found myself outside my comfort zone quite a lot this year and next weekend I will find myself there again.

This time with a microphone in my hand, standing in the spotlight.

Holy crap!

The studio where I work is celebrating its 5th Anniversary of being in business with a huge party and a talent show. It’s being billed as It’s All Yoga‘s Got Talent!

Staff and students are coming together for one night to showcase their hidden-until-now talents.

I laugh because in my case, “talent” may be a bit of a stretch. I’ll be singing along to a song with my sweetheart while he plays guitar. He’s the real musician in our house and I’m totally riding on his coattails.

I chose the song {if you want to know you’ll have to come to the show!} and I’ll just say sometimes doing something outside your comfort zone can help expand the boundries of your comfort zone.

What scares you?

Do you typically face your fears or avoid them?

How do you feel when faced with a fear?

What do you do with those feelings?

{click on the images for source}

PS – You are all invited to the party {and to showcase your talent too}. If you’d like to come by, please RSVP so we know how much bubbly we need. I’m putting in my order for a bottle now!

Yoga+Music(notquite)365 (day97) – #SwapAsana Edition!

Posted on April 7, 2010 by Teacher Goes Back to School

Spring.

What does it mean to you?

Maybe it means cleaning house.

Exchanging your warm winter clothes for sandals and t-shirts.

Maybe it’s a process of letting some things in your life go, in order to make room for new things.

Maybe it’s about shaking things up and trying new things.

Maybe it’s about shedding your usual thoughts or trappings of life and trying on something a little out of the ordinary.

OR MAYBE IT’S JUST ABOUT NEW CLOTHES!

This past weekend, I went to my very first clothes swap — #stitchswap (click the link for photos).

O.M.G!

For a $5.00 donation (all proceeds going to charity) and one article of clothing, I had access to mounds of clothes.

I made out like a bandit.

Three super cute bags – check out the photos – Yes, I took that flowered one home with me!

Three necklaces

Two deliciously pink scarves

Six t-shirts

Six blousey blouses

One poke-your-eyes-out-cute sweater

Two pairs of perfectly fitting jeans (including a pair of black skinny True Religion jeans!)

WHAT DOES ALL THIS HAVE TO DO WITH YOU?

April 24th from 3-5pm

It’s All Yoga is hosting their first ever #SwapAsana!

WHAT IS #SWAPASANA?

It’s a clothes swap being held in a yoga studio.

Get it?

Swap in the place where you do asana (poses)… ok, maybe not the best name for it, but it makes me giggle every time I say it.

What’s the little # for?

That’s a Twitter thing. If you add a # to your thing’s name, it makes it easier to search. So if you are on Twitter and talk about #SwapAsana – be sure to add the #, so we know who is in the conversation.

Ok, back to the details.

WHO: You and all of your female friends

ALL SIZES are WELCOME! We are trying to share the swap-asana love with all of our friends. So bring yours – we can’t wait to meet them!

But, what if I don’t live in Sacramento?

If you are close enough to drive, I think it’ll be worth the time. Snacks, cool women, the CLOTHES….

WHAT: Bring a $5 donation and at least one article of gently used clothing to swap for a new-to-you piece for your wardrobe

WHEN: April 24th from 3-5pm

WHERE: It’s All Yoga at 21st and X Streets in Midtown Sacramento.

WHY: It’s eco, it’s affordable, it’s awesome to get “new” clothes!

RSVP here.

Leave me a comment if you have any questions. I hope you all can make it!

JCrew halter dress - Will it go home with you?

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Yoga+Music(notquite)365 (day97)

Today’s yoga brought to me by ME. A home practice is in order.

Today’s music is Rhett Miller – Self-Titled. A fellow Rhett fan is in town, so in her honor we’ll be listening.

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Yoga Teaching Update:

FREE Fridays at 4:30 with the new It’s All Yoga teachers (21st and X in Sacramento) – you’ve got to sign up online www.itsallyoga.com

* I’m teaching May 14th with Donna. Put it on your calendar so you don’t miss it!

Free class for School Teachers in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week – May 1st.

Yoga Nap+Milk and Cookies.

Teacher Keeps Going Back to “School”

Posted on April 5, 2010 by Teacher Goes Back to School

Do you ever find yourself really excited about something new? Do you find yourself sleeping less and yet functioning just fine because you are hyper-focused on your new thing?

That’s me.

A lot of the time.

I find something I’m interested in and I dive in head first.

I try to find out as much as I can about whatever I’m interested in as quickly as possible.

All that being said, I’ve got lots of projects I’m working on – both on and off-line that are taking up loads of time.

In a good way.

Here are some of the highlights of studio projects I’m working on that are taking place in real life in the near future:

Swap-Asana! A women’s clothing swap being held at It’s All Yoga – 21st and X in Midtown Sacramento – April 24th.

o.m.g! I went to my first swap this weekend and let’s just say this may be one of the most exciting events EVER. I’ll dedicate a whole post to it later.

Yoga Nap + Milk and Cookies! A free yoga class in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week – May 1st.

Book Worms! – LovingKindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness – May 23rd.

If you live in Sacramento and any of those strike your fancy, come join me!

What in-real-life projects are you working on? What’s keeping you busy these days? How are you spending your time?

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The other projects I’m working on are more behind the scenes type of things.

Some highlights:

Reading some of Seth Godin’s marketing books.

Tribes is totally speaking to my inner cheerleader right now.

The Unconventional Guide to the Web – Using Social Media As A Force for Good with Gwen Bell and Chris Guillebeau. So much good stuff to take in and use.

Making some connections with more yogis through Twitter and Facebook.

Through all of this, learning social media is about having a conversation. – which sounds a lot like teaching….

How do you use social media to help your projects reach your right people? How do you connect and converse with the people who would love your product, project or service if they just knew about it?

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Yoga+Music(notquite)365 (day95)

Today’s yoga brought to me by ME at It’s All Yoga in Sacramento. I’m subbing for Michelle tonight.

Today’s music is Consolers of the Lonely by The Raconteurs.

If you love guitar-based music, you also may want to check out the documentary on the electric guitar called It Might Get LOUD – featuring Jack White (The White Stripes and The Raconteurs), The Edge (U2) and Jimmy Paige (Led Zeppelin).

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Yoga Teaching Update:

FREE Fridays at 4:30 with the new It’s All Yoga teachers (21st and X in Sacramento) – you’ve got to sign up online www.itsallyoga.com.

I’m sub-teaching TODAY– for Michelle at 5:45. Level 1-2, so every body is welcome.

Free class for School Teachers in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week – May 1st. Yoga Nap+Milk and Cookies.

Teacher Goes Back to School

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Making the Most of Summer Break: Halfway Check In

Ten Things I Loved In June 2013

Making The Most of Summer Break: Summer of Intentionality

Introducing The Healthy, Happy, Sane Teacher

Ten Things I Loved in April 2013

Ten Things I Loved in March 2013

Ten Things I Loved In January

Word for 2013

Ten Things I Loved In December

Ten Things I Loved In October

How {and why} to Hold A Clothing Swap

A Challenge: Claim Your Care and A Wellness Prescription

Attitude of Gratitude Re-Cap

Happy Haul-idays Giveaway from Chronicle Books

43 Things Before 43

Fall Swap Asana!

Attitude of Gratitude

A Peek Behind the Computer Screen

Out of My Comfort Zone, Right into the Spotlight

Yoga+Music(notquite)365 (day97) – #SwapAsana Edition!

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