The Mindful Homeschool

It has been hard to keep count of all the things I am grateful for.  I guess that in itself is something for which to be grateful! (29)

I haven’t posted for a while and thought I could quickly give an update by stating what I have been grateful for these past few days.

The glorious summer sun and summer heat! (30)  I do not want to hear complaints about the heat.  Get thee to a pool if need be.  I love being able to send the kids outside in just shorts, a t-shirt and crocs.  This is the perfect time to go to the beach, the pool, anywhere you can find comfort when the heat index gets high.

Air conditioning (31) for when the heat and humidity are too much to bear.

My new clothes dryer (32), my temporary clothesline and clothespins (33), my new window fan (34), and the new hard drive in this computer which allows me to stay connected to the world through cyber space!!! (34) 

And lastly, for our health (35).  We have been very healthy this summer and (knock on wood) hope to do a lot more activities before the summer comes to a close.

I consider myself very fortunate to have this awesome, talented, and gorgeous yoga instructor teaching at our local fitness club. (26)  She is smart; she is knowledgeable; she is strict; she is beautiful; she is strong and she is one of the best yoga teachers I have ever had.  I have learned so much from her and she has inspired me to take my practice farther and deeper.  She has also encouraged us to practice carefully/mindfully so as to avoid injuring ourselves.  (She told us that she wants us to be able to continue doing yoga with her decades from now!) 

Today I was able to go to one of her classes and I had a great workout. (27)  I even attempted bird-of-paradise and was able to do it rather well. (28)  Not perfectly, not even close, but well enough for Kristina, my teacher, to say, “Gorgeous, Lucy!”  Now I know that you are not going to see me on the cover of Yoga Journal doing bird-of-paradise anytime soon but nonetheless, there is something to be said about being complimented in a class full of other students.  Being acknowledged for attempting the pose and being somewhat successful is a huge day brightener!

I told my dh not too long ago that if it weren’t for yoga, I would not be HSing.  Now I cannot say that with total certainty but I do know that yoga helps me relieve stress.  It helps me stay clear-headed enough to deal with all the extra stressors that parenting and HSing bring on.  I remember that in one of my first classes with Kristina, she complimented me on my practice and my flexibility.  Well, it is true that a good compliment can last a person a week or more.  That compliment was one of the first genuine compliments I had had in months, maybe years.  As a SAHM, and as a HS mom, I find the compliments on my work as a parent and a teacher to be extremely rare.  So hearing those words of praise from this gorgeous instructor made my heart sing and kept me flying high for quite a while.

Yoga seems to be something my body cries out for.  After practicing for about 18 months or so, I can tell when my body needs a good stretch.  Doing sun salutations and other basic poses make me feel so good.  Through my study of yoga, I have learned more about what makes a good teacher.  I have learned about Sanskrit, about what poses are good for what conditions, and how to do certain poses safely.  My children have been learning right along with me.  They know a lot of the poses and they know some of the sanskrit words used to describe certain the different asanas or poses.  They are also learning that the learning you do in life does not stop when you reach a certain age.  Learning is a life-long journey we all need to embark on.  Daily.

I hope that I will never grow tired of yoga.  Studying and practicing yoga has been a life-transforming experience and I hope that my enthusiasm for this ancient practice will inspire others to check it out for themselves.

C had art class today.  The featured artist was Claude Monet.  As usual, she had a good time and came home with some lovely art.  We have always thought of her as our artist-in-residence so I am so grateful that she is taking these art classes with a wonderful teacher who is fun, kind and creative.  Oh, and she also knows her art!  I am grateful that my daughter has been given these opportunities to learn more about and practice more art.  My deep gratitude goes out to her teacher and those who arranged the classes for our HS group. (23)

We also went shopping for shoes for the children.  We bought a pair for each of the boys; they ended up with the same shoe only in different sizes!  (For the second year in a row!)  I am grateful that we have money to buy things like this and that we don’t have to put it on our credit card.  (24)  I have been reading lately about HSers who are facing very difficult times financially and otherwise.  Of course, these financial troubles are affecting everyone, not just those of us in the HSing communities.  I am grateful for dh’s steady employment (25) and my thoughts and heart go out to those who are facing a lot of financial uncertainties and stress right now. 

Both of the boys are so excited about their new shoes.  My 3 yo was especially happy and he told me, “You have a nice family!”  LOL. 

Ann Voskamp at Holy Experience has inspired me to write this list of 1000 gifts.  It is a list of gifts I have.  I think it is so easy to focus on what I don’t have and what I want that it is easy to lose sight of what I have.  I am hoping this exercise will help me stayed focused on the here and now and all that has been bestowed upon me.  It has been much too easy lately to get into a rut of wishing for things I don’t have, things that others have, things that I lack.  Focusing on what I do have, I hope, will make me realize how blessed I am. 

I am grateful for another day.  (22)  I am grateful for the blogging community which never fails to inspire me.  (23)

For more information, please check out Ann’s Blog:  http://aholyexperience.com/