On a Mission

Salvatore's soccer schedule had us all the way down in San Juan Capistrano for the afternoon.  With the extreme heat, a lost game, bad moods and bickering between all of us, I suggested we take a walk over to the Mission, and it was just what we all needed.

Kids got to feed the Koi.  One pebble at a time, so we were there for a good 20 minutes.  Comparing the swarming of the Koi to the swarm of ducks when you drop bread crumbs, the kids were in heaven with the attention from the fish.  Valentina was naming them based on their colors and sizes and we recorded the feeding frenzy to watch again later.

We all thought that we were pretty cool when we could toss a pellet of food directly into an open mouth!

We relaxed, reconnected, and found inspiration with every turn. 

The last time I was at this mission, I was 8 months pregnant with Valentina. 

When was your last visit?

Life in the Fast Lane

I've been so busy that blogging no longer seems like an option, or a joy.  But then I post and I do love seeing and sharing my family, thoughts and life, and I know the greatest joy is looking back on all of this, as I often do.  Like everyone else, we have been busy... 

Aunt Beth came to visit while attending a workshop and we got to have dinner with her every night for almost a week.  It was so good to see her again.  Everyone came out to watch Salvatore play soccer.  The kids asked about her the entire following week, thinking that she would come over at anytime.  

Valentina got her first haircut, at 3.4 years old.  A four inch trim straight off the bottom. Sylvia styled her hair afterward and Valentina acted and moved like a true princess the whole day.

Sal and Molly, enjoying every bit of school, together.

Family time. We have had lots of that lately and we make it a priority over anything else.  We hardly use our technology anymore and we don't like to when we are all together, and it's made a big difference in the way we interact and connect.

The jewelry business is doing well.  David loves to make these Shamballa bracelets and he can use any color bead.  The kids each wear one and both have even helped him make some for our family.

Salvatore and Molly both received awards at school for doing their personal best.  I thought that I would cry each time I saw him go up to receive an award, and I almost did...but what really got me were the strong, hard, excited claps he gave to every other name called.  

Lolo, Sita, Fred, Papá, Valentina and I got to watch the whole ceremony of awards.

Valentina is enjoying her days spend with Papá while he works.  She also keeps Lolo company while he continues to recover. Another surgery is scheduled for next week.  We've got him covered with attention, help and love.  

More Beth and Sal.  

The princess in her chair.  She even wanted to read a magazine while getting her hair cut.  She looked younger to me when it was finished.  But she also looked taller.  Anyways, it is slightly easier to brush out but it looks like it already grew a whole inch in the two weeks since getting cut.  There are moments when she looks exactly like my mom and there are other moments where she looks exactly like David's mom.  

*Also, my little brother is engaged!!!  I don't have a picture of them, but we are so so happy!!!  More to come with this new story soon....

What has been keeping YOU so busy?

Hard Work on Labor Day

 Salvatore is really into his school work. He practices each day, just like he does with soccer, knowing that that is the best way to grow and improve.  He got a pen and wanted to do his math journal.

 His writing from his school journal.  He is loving being able to read some high-frequency words around town, on packages, labels, in books and on signs.  

He loves to practice writing his name.  And Valentina's name.  She gets into with him also. I have journals for both of them and we spend some weekend mornings on the front porch, practicing.  Valentina makes dozens of wavy lines across the paper and squeals that she is writing her name like her brother.  The momentum of him being in school and loving it has brought much peace to me.

Happy

Salvatore started Kindergarten

 Salvatore started Kindergarten yesterday.  He was ready.  We are so proud.  Here he is with his good friend Molly.  Same class.  Great teacher.  So exciting!!

 New haircut for school and soccer.

 David and Valentina joined us on our first day back.  Kinder had a nice orientation and an hour's worth of play and information.  Then David got to take him back home one last time.  It was emotional for us as parents, but we are so encouraged by this new stage of our lives, especially his.  

I finally feel like the stay at home mom I wanted to be when he was very young.  Now I cook him breakfast each morning, drive with him to school, catch his eye and get big waves from across campus, and ride home with him as he begins the social, emotional and developmental journey of education outside of the home.  Do your best, my son.  We love you very much.

My baseball ring

My talented husband loves to make jewelry.  Our baseball rings are a big hit with everyone, and I couldn't wait to wear one on my finger.  David made me my special ring, so we now not only have matching wedding rings, but matching baseball rings.  He told me to wear it in good faith and good health, and I do!

Check out our rings and more on our blog here.

Tilt

(Disclaimer:  I am not endorsing anything with this post, only sharing my continuous journey, and would encourage anyone to simply research any idea on their own for better health.)

When we were in Mexico, we took Salvatore to a local cancha where there was an old, rusty see-saw.  His curiosity was sparked and he really wanted to try it, despite my pleas and warnings about the oldness and rustiness of it.  I did still work, and he had pants on, so I let him try.  Upon sitting on it, he realized he needed a partner to make it work.  I gave him a little push and tilt.  He loved it and commented that he needed his whole body to make his side work while I only needed to use my hand to push the other seat up and down.  As a person, my mind finds connections to life in these situations all the time, and as a parent, now I speak them aloud.    Well, talking to Salvatore is like talking to my soulmate, he understands and can practically finish my sentences with wisdom way beyond his years.  

The lesson that day was that sometimes you don't need a big thing to push or change you, all you need is a little tilt.  For when you start to tilt, you automatically tilt a little more.  Sometimes just tilting or leaning towards what you want helps you get to what you want.  This reminded me of my healthy journey that I started a few months ago. It started with the desire to clear up my skin and relieve my allergies naturally.  I started searching the internet for remedies and diet suggestions, and found out too much info, too much to process and deal with, so after many steps in all crazy directions, I started to tilt to one thing and that thing led to another and another.

Here are the changes that I continue to make:

1.  Hardly any soda. I drink it rarely now, and hardly crave it, making water my #1 choice.  

2.  No more dairy in the form of milk, yogurt or cheese.  While I have cut out milk and yogurt completely, I do still eat cheese on pizza and some feta if it's on a salad.  No soy milk either.  The majority of the stuff I read about soy from the U.S. anyways is enough to prove to me that I don't need it and relying on the extra protein from yogurt, especially Greek, is also not good for most.  They mention high levels of casein in yogurt being harmful to your body.  I was hoping that eliminating dairy would clear up my skin and allergies, but it didn't.  What it DID do was totally alleviate the cramps and heavy menstruation that I suffered with.  That's enough for me.

3.  Blending and drinking more green leafy veggies. Most mornings, I blend kale, watercress and spinach in my blender with two tablespoons of Flax Seed and Chia Seed. I add one fruit and water to make it smooth and delicious.  Really, it's delicious.  I wouldn't TOUCH kale before this, but mixed with all this, it is really really good.  Why blend them up?  I eat salads each day, but learned that plants have thick cell walls, thicker than animal cell walls. Thicker means it's harder to rupture. In order to get the most nutrients from plants, it is best to rupture as many of the cell walls as possible, and chewing alone doesn't do it as well as blending.  Plus, drinking it in the morning is really fast and easy.  The flax and chia seeds give it the protein that we need.  

4.  Quinoa instead of white rice or pasta.  I do still make rice and pasta, but with quinoa in the mix, I still add peas, carrots, corn and broccoli to it, and we are eating it more and more.  

5.  More exercise. I read a long time ago that the pounding motion from jogging, running, dancing and such continue to build strong bones.  So I am more concerned about my bones now, versus my physical outside appearance of muscle and cellulite, of which I have both.

These changes have been gradual and all but disappeared when we went on vacation. That's ok, though, I just need to tilt towards what I want and it will happen.  

I've read some of the information listed above here. I wish I could have documented more of what I read, but as you all know, when you search for one thing on the internet, it can lead to a huge web of other searches, and then you forget where you started!  But it's easy to find things on a healthier lifestyle. I do not wish to be extreme, and I'm not looking to lose weight. And despite all the proof, I won't ever completely give up sugar.  I do want to work on cancer prevention, heart disease prevention, and to be a great role model for my children and students on what healthy and happy look like in all packages.  

What makes you tilt in a better direction?