ZenMomma

I’m student teaching now (summer school….3 more weeks!) and then start teaching high school bio at the end of August! Woot!!

Today in my yoga class we were doing poses where we held them for a long time, and the last pose was a forward bend. I thought the teacher said we could do a standing or seated forward bend, or plow. I did a standing forward bend and she came and asked why I was standing. (someone else had imitated me, actually, and was also doing a standing bend).

I switched to seated, but I felt a little embarrassed and a flash of anger. Why? I also thought that this is why I should do my own practice, because then we don’t all have to do the same thing (this was still out of anger).

Why did I feel anger and embarrassment for doing something different? For doing what felt best for my body?

I still have a ways to go before I fully accept myself, I guess.

Veggie stock is versatile and SO cheap. You literally use trash.

Save the waste you create from chopping veggies (like onions, celery, carrots, apples, pears, green beans, etc but NOT cruciferous veggies like broccoli and NOT peppers) in a plastic bag in the freezer. When the bag is about 1/2 to 3/4 full, put the contents into a big stock pot with water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and simmer till it smells good and has turned a deep brown color. Voila! Veggie stock for FREE! Plus, you just kept waste out of the landfill. Look at you! Saving the earth. Your mother would be proud.

Here’s the skinny:

Talk about:

1. Kids. How many, who stays home, do they go to daycare, discipline, etc.

2. Finances. OMG. Finances.

3. In laws. Care and feeding of

Get pre-marital counseling because it’s way better to call off a wedding than to get a divorce. Plus, if you go when times are good, you will be more likely to go when times are bad. And don’t hesitate to get counseling if you need it.

But make sure you are READY for a house. It’s a BIG commitment. You need to know you will be staying put for AT LEAST five years. Research the neighborhood! It sucks to dislike your neighbors. Make sure that you can afford insurance and taxes. Make sure you can pay for any repairs that pop up, ‘cause you ain’t got a landlord taking care of that stuff anymore. DO NOT GET AN ADJUSTABLE RATE MORTGAGE.

Where I’ve been:

California
Nevada
Oregon
Washington
Idaho
Montana
Wyoming
Utah
North Dakota
South Dakota
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Illinois
New York
Pennslyvania
Maryland
Georgia
Texas
Louisiana
New Jersey
Connecticut
Mississippi
Alabama
North Carolina
Virginia

DO IT DO IT DO IT! You will be so glad you did when something comes up and you don’t need a credit card to fix it. You can’t get out of debt without an emergency fund.

It’s hard! You realize how much food is about variety and relieving boredom. I was never hungry, but I wanted to eat so badly!

I said this was worth doing but it depends on you and what you like to eat. If you LOVE carbs, then this really isn’t going to work for you. You are unlikely to suddenly dislike carbs just because you are doing this diet. I’ve done it twice and lost weight both times, but I always slide back to eating habits that include carbs.

On the other hand, it taught me A LOT about good carbs/good fats, so that is beneficial to everyone!

HONEY! I’m serious. Just use regular old honey instead of whatever you have been using and your face will get SO soft and your zits will go away. It’s amazing. Plus, you will know exactly what is in your cleanser, which is a nice change of pace. At night, I moisturize with jojoba oil (and a little goes a LONG way) and during the day I use a moisturizer with SPF.

My face has NEVER looked so great! Try it and see if you like it!