Ready to party? Here you go! My idea of a party might be slightly different than yours, but what can I say? I'm a tired mama who doesn't get out much and gets REALLY excited about making time for a yoga class--even a 1 hour practice done at home.
Thus, I present to you...this month's audio yoga class! Learn more + listen below... Class Description: In this 1 hour audio yoga class we focus on strengthening the core and working the upper body while moving through a well-balanced flow. Get excited about lots of plank variations and some fun yogic push-ups! This class is not for beginners; experienced practitioners only (Level 2-3 class). Recorded live. How to Listen: You can listen directly from this website (player below) or on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher (search "Starr Struck Yoga: Live Yoga Classes"). If you subscribe to this "podcast" wherever you listen to podcasts, you will automatically get each new class that I post in your podcast feed on your phone. A Note About the Audio Quality: These classes are not professional recordings, so you will hear me mess up, you'll hear students sneeze, you'll hear me whisper a specific instruction to a specific student, and at times, the audio quality might not be the best. Apologies, but hey, they're free and as authentic as you can get without being in the actual class! ;) You can stream the class here: Enjoy + as always, thanks for practicing with me from afar! 
 There's just something about Amy Ross' collages that makes me happy. They're whimsical and a bit bizarre and yet they speak to me on some primal level about our connection with nature and the way in which we're just as much plant and sea creature as we are human (am I sounding too out there for you yet?)... I love the combination of classical, period-piece legs + bizarre plant or creature torso; I also find the work to be really pleasing to the eye and grounding at the same time, despite being so fantastical. Take a look at the pieces below and I think you'll know what I mean, even if you don't really know what I mean...        Don't you just love them? And those hedgehogs?!?! You can see more of Amy Ross' work on her website and on Instagram. You can buy archival prints of her work in her shop. Oh, and she's based in Boston, so that's fun! Maybe I'll get to go see her work in person someday... I hope your Tuesday is as whimsical as these works of art!  
Hello, mid-September! Another crazy week has come + gone and here we are: SJOTW-time! I'm going to jump right in today because I've gotta be back on mama duty in just a few...
Here are some of the simple pleasures that brought me joy this week. What made you smile over the past 7 days? HEAR: "I Am Light" by India.Arie This song! It's SO beautiful. I heard it in another instructor's class (shout-out Stephanie) and immediately added it tothis month's class playlist. It gets me every time + makes me feel all warm + fuzzy inside. You can listen below: SEE: Charlie Mae using the potty (!!!) Seemingly out of nowhere (to me, at least), Charlie Mae is potty trained! Last Friday she was walking around naked in the morning (as you do) and she just went into the bathroom and peed in her potty on her own. When I saw what she did I knew it was go-time, so I read everything I could find about the 3-day potty training method, we cleared our schedule, and by Monday she had it! I hope it doesn't sound like I'm bragging here; we've had SO many parenting challenges that I have to celebrate the small wins as they come. And I can't take any credit--the girl was just ready. Phew and hooray! TASTE: Kashi Original 7 Grain Crackers It's been a while since I've praised these crackers and it's time I do so again; they are my absolute fave and have been for 10+ years now. Over the summer, our Whole Foods stopped carrying them and I couldn't find them anywhere--it was a cracker drought and it was not great. But then last week I went to another local grocery store and found them there AND they were on sale--it was a miracle! I bought almost all of the boxes off of the shelf and am now willing to bet that I'm the most Kashi cracker-rich person on Cape Cod. They're soooo good! SMELL: New Nike Free sneaks [gifted from my brother] My youngest brother, Patrick, interned at Nike this summer and got a very sweet employee discount. As a part of that discount, everyone in the family got a pair of Nikes at some point over the past few months, and I was lucky enough to get two (thanks, Patty!). The most recent pair that he got me is this pair of Frees and they are crazy comfortable. I mean, crazy. I had some Frees years ago but they've really upped the comfort factor since then. TOUCH: Indoor Cycle class at Elite Nation Cycle/Wellbeloved Wellness Speaking of things that I had or did years ago: spin classes. I was pretty into spinning for a little while when I lived in NYC, but had only taken one spin (or "indoor cycle," as it's now called) since I lived there. Enter Elite Nation Cycle and I'm really enjoying it again! I've been going to a 6am class on Thursday mornings and I love getting that intense workout + wake-up first thing in the AM. Man those classes make me sweaty, too. And there you have it! If you're local, I hope to see you at Centerville Yoga tonight for my seasonal slow flow + restorative yoga workshop from 6-8pm (sign up here). If not, have a great weekend and I'll see you back here next week! 
Remember when I told you that I was launching a new Cape Cod-focused podcast in September? Well, the show is here [kind of/almost!]...
The season will officially launch the week of September 24th, but in the meantime, we've recorded a pre-season *bonus episode* with the show's creators: yours truly, Jen, + Amanda (both of LoveLiveLocal fame). Built on Cape Cod is Cape Cod's first podcast focused on celebrating our community's inspirational + successful entrepreneurs and in this episode, we discuss why we wanted to start this podcast, our entrepreneurial backgrounds, and some of our personal experiences navigating the Cape Cod business world. You can listen to the show below, on Apple Podcasts (search "Built on Cape Cod"), or on Stitcher. Learn more about being on the show + advertising with us at BuiltonCapeCod.com. Thanks for listening and thanks to all of the amazing guests whose episodes we'll be sharing in Season 1! 
 What a weird week! I've been a bit off, have you? I think it's because we were traveling through Monday, and then came home to a short 4-day week in which we were trying to cram everything in and recover from a trip. That's always a doozy for the old mom-noggin ;) But lets jump right in and talk simple, sensory joys, shall we? Most of mine are centered around our trip to GA for my grandmother's 90th birthday party because it was a really special trip. My biggest SJOTW was being there to celebrate her with my extended family, of course. We haven't all gotten together like that in a really long time and there was so much love for my grandmother in the room; she is a very special person. Also, Charlie Mae was a TOTAL rockstar on this trip so that helped ;) What brought you happiness over the past 7 days? I encourage you to take a little time to reflect today, it always helps me slow down time and connect with a sense of gratitude. Anyway, here are my fave simple pleasures from this week... HEAR: Room for Squares by John Mayer (circa 2001) I posted about this on my Instagram story, but I'll say it again here because it was a big simple joy this week: I revisited this album from my high school years this week and it took. me. back. I still know all of the words and it reminds me so much of that time period of my life--especially of cruising around in my first car and feeling really free (but of course I was also a total mess emotionally because: adolescence). Anyways, I love the album despite the fact that John Mayer is so insufferable now and listening to it has been really fun. SEE: Charlie Mae with my family I know I say this every time I see family, but seriously, it was incredible seeing Charlie Mae interact with my side of the family on this trip--especially because she is so verbal now and can really communicate and play with them in a whole new way. She bonded with my brothers more than she ever has before, she knew everyone's names and wanted to know what they were doing at every moment, and she seemed to really connect with them as her family. It was beautiful to watch. TASTE: Breakfast at The Flying Biscuit Cafe in Atlanta (esp the grits + biscuits...OMG!) My brother told me that this restaurant (now a chain) has become a touristy place, but I remember when the first location first opened and we could walk to it from where we lived and it was a total local's spot, so I will always feel like a special local's-only find to me. And every time I go home I have to eat there--I don't think the quality of the food has changed at all in 25 years and I love it so much. Where are the "Creamy Dreamy Grits" on Cape Cod, y'all? SMELL: Raw Sugar Hand Wash When we were at my dad's house, he had this hand wash sitting on the counter in his bathroom. Every time I washed my hands I thought, "Woah, Dad, look at you with the special expensive organic hand wash!" Turns out you can just get it at Target and it's not that expensive but it sure looked like a luxury product sitting there in his dad bathroom. And oh, the scent! So good. TOUCH: Playground workouts in GA One of Ben's best qualities is his ability to turn any wooden or metal structure into a workout apparatus. On our trip last weekend, he did just that at the local playground (x3!). While Charlie Mae played, we rotated playing with her or pushing her in the swing and did three different playground workouts over the course of the trip. It was awesome! It kept me feeling good while eating all of the foods in Atlanta and was a fun way for us to bond. Thanks, Ben! And there you have it. See you back here next week! I hope your weekend is full of simple, sensory joys.   In my over 8 years of teaching yoga, I've seen a lot of couples come to class together. I've watched 40-year old couples roll out their mats side-by-side and I've observed brand new, 3-week old couples walk nervously into the studio to practice next to one another. I've watched flirtations form in class, I've seen approximately 10,000 women bring their brand-new-to-yoga male counterparts to advanced classes [Ladies: this isn't a great idea! Get those guys into a more beginner class!] and every once in a while, I've witnessed a male regular introduce his female love interest to yoga. As I've observed all of these yoga couple interactions over the years, one thing has stood out to me: there's a right way to interact with your significant other (or hopeful significant other) in a yoga class and a wrong way. The right way is sweet, brings you closer, and makes everyone around you feel happy for both of you that you found one another. The wrong way makes people around you feel annoyed, distracted, or uncomfortable, and often makes the teacher feel uncomfortable and distracted, too (like that one couple who rolled towards one another at the end of class and just passionately stared into each other's eyes while I was sharing the final reading). Therefore, today's post is a quick do + don't guide for flirting in yoga class. Here's how you should (and should not) interact with your significant other (SO) or love interest during class... DOs
DONTs:
Oh, and another couple-related PSA: don't smoke weed together before you come to class. We can all smell it. Now go forth and take yoga classes together, all of you yogi couples! I encourage you to do so! Taking a class with your SO really is the best. I miss the days when Ben and I would take Dibora's Monday night class together every week (sigh)...now the only yoga we do together happens when Charlie Mae is leading us through one of her toddler-dictator practices (which is great in it's own way, but not the same). Speaking of some of the weird things that happen in yoga classes, here are a few oldies but goodies that you might enjoy:  PS. The picture used in this post is me (I know!) taken by the amazing + talented Dilyana Stoeva. Although it doesn't show flirting in yoga class, it is my "sexiest" yoga pic to date (HAHAHA) and Ben calls it my "50 Shades of Grey" yoga pic so I decided to go with it.
 We've all heard the saying "the days are long but the years are short," and while I get the sentiment (I really do!), I have to disagree. I think the days are short and the years are short--it's all so short and fast and it's just such a wild ride! As we celebrated Charlie Mae's 2nd birthday this past weekend, I was floating somewhere between total amazement at my little kid (because she really seems like a little kid now!) and wondering where the heck my baby went. I don't want to spend Charlie Mae's childhood posting pictures of her looking grown up with the crying emoji (x10) beneath them, but I see why we do this because it is all so emotional and it feels so fleeting. So, moving forward, I'm going to try my best to celebrate Charlie Mae's growth and who she is becoming as she gets older, instead of mourning the precious days that are already in the past. Thus, today's post is a celebration of the the celebration that we had for 2-year old Charlie Mae this past weekend. We loved setting aside some time to acknowledge who she is at this point in time: a fun, adorable, strong-willed, sweet, opinionated, sensitive, and funny little soul. We kept her sheep-themed party small with just family this year (probably the last year we can get away with having just family!) and I tried my best to keep my decorating/themed-party urges in check so I wouldn't lose my mind getting ready for the simple get-together. Here are a few fun snapshots from the party! (Oh, and I know the food tables look pretty lame in these pics, but I never got a chance to take pics once the feast was laid out ;)          This girl = 100% down with the birthday hype now. She gets it. She was ALL IN on the presents, cake, ice cream, singing, and attention. She's already excited about the next family birthday party and the presents she's going to get on our trip to GA this week! Which brings me to my next note: there will be no #SJOTW this Friday because we'll be in GA to celebrate my grandmother's 90th birthday (!!!!). We'll be back in town next week and I'll get back to it then. Have a great week + a great Labor Day!  Today is Charlie Mae's 2nd birthday! Our little nugget has been around the sun twice now. I can hardly believe it. Obviously, this means that I had to interrupt my regular SJOTW programming to share some pics of our girlie + turn this week's edition of this column into a Charlie Mae-focused extravaganza ;) So, here are some [mostly] Charlie Mae-centric simple, sensory joys from the past week + summer... HEAR: Charlie Mae's singing voice + wide range of songs Charlie Mae can sing, y'all. She knows so many songs that they're not worth listing here at this point, but suffice it to say that she can sing the the entire ABCs and has been singing happy birthday to herself, to Sayde, to her blanket, and to all of her stuffed animals for weeks now. I love how high, loud, and off-tune her voice can be when she sings and how much she enjoys singing everything from show tunes to Elmo songs. We have fun. [PS. I have a great video of her singing her ABCs that I'll share in my Instagram story today if you want to see it!] SEE: Charlie Mae wearing the two *adorable* handmade dresses that she was given as birthday gifts Do you see the precious dress that Charlie Mae is wearing in her 2-year pic above? That dress was HANDMADE by Starr Struck's very own Sara! She sent her two handmade dresses that arrived last week and they are both the sweetest things ever. Thanks SO much, Sara! TASTE: Family ice cream outings This summer has been a really busy one for us as a family (work-wise + schedule-wise, not necessarily social engagement-wise) and we haven't spent as much time together as a family unit as I would have liked. But, we have made the time to go out to ice cream as a family at least once per week, and it's been a definite highlight. Charlie Mae can eat some serious ice cream and so can her parents, so we've all enjoyed it. We went this week and as usual, it was delicious and fun. SMELL: Charlie Mae's scent I know I'm not the only crazy person who smells my child's clothes, blankets, and pajamas after I take them off of her, right!!?!? It's a pretty wild thing how biologically, we are so drawn towards the scents of our loved ones. Even if I had no other senses, if I smelled Charlie Mae, I would recognize her anywhere; it's my favorite scent in the whole wide world. The biology of motherhood is pretty awesome. TOUCH: Wrestling with Charlie Mae on the bed Yesterday, despite having plans to go to a playground and then storytime, Charlie Mae and I ended up spending the entire morning at home, instead. The reason for this? We were just having too much fun. And when I asked her if she wanted to go, she said, "No, stay home and wrestle and snuggle with mommy." So that's what we did (after I picked myself up off of the floor where I had become a puddle of love). Snuggling and wrestling in "the big bed" with Charlie Mae is one of my favorite activities. And there you have it! Just like that, it's been 2 years since I gave birth to Charlie Mae; and what a wild, beautiful, exhausting, and love-filled 2 years it's been! If you missed the first year or so of her life as it was captured here on the blog, you can check out the posts below to get caught up: Thanks for being a part of this motherhood journey with me!   The early days of motherhood can be really, really hard. This card is meant to be a pick-me-up, an "I see you and acknowledge everything that you're doing" note to your favorite new mama or new mama-to-be. Remind that yogi mama of her internal strength and tell her that you're with her [even if only in spirit] on the tough days (or nights) of motherhood. You can purchase the card in my Etsy shop at the link below: Also, don't forget that you can "Build Your Own 8-Pack" of any 8 of my yoga greeting cards here. And now I've got to get working on my 2018 holiday cards...stay tuned ;)   On Saturday morning, as I was preparing to teach and helping students find mat spaces in a packed yoga studio, I heard a nervous, high-pitched voice from the back of the room call out: "Mary Catherine? Do you want me to put out this fire?" My answer, of course, was yes (YES!!!!!), accompanied by a short sprint toward the flames that I saw flickering along the back window, in between the students getting organized and shaking out their mats. Last week had been one of those weeks...the kind of week where you feel like your life is blowing up in your face and you question why things happen the way that they do; where life zooms into perspective and you feel all of the emotions all at once and you're raw but you're just dealing with it because you have to. You know those times--after a loss, a tragedy, a horrible heartbreak or scare, a situation that leaves you with a deep emotional scar that you're working through--but when you also have responsibilities and groceries to buy and appointments to keep. So, I was getting back to it after a hard week and then my yoga class caught on fire. Granted it was only for a moment, only on a low windowsill where a mat strap seems to have come in contact with a candle flame, and it only left behind a bit of smoke, a weird smell, and a small spot of tar-like substance, BUT STILL. It felt so symbolic to me. When I came home I could do nothing but laugh as I reported to Ben, "My life has become a dumpster fire. Things are literally just catching on fire around me as I try to do basic things like teach yoga." But all dumpster fire joking aside, I have been thinking a lot about those times in life when there is fire; when it feels like one thing catches and then another does and then fairly quickly, without realizing it, you're engulfed in flames. Big challenges, changes, and losses seem to sweep over our lives all at once, like a forest fire consuming everything in it's path. It seems that it's never just one challenge at a time, but they pile up, one on top of another. Whenever things are really good I find myself quietly worrying about how life could be going so well. How could I get so lucky? How could things be so wonderful right now? When is something bad or hard or sad going to happen? But then the bad things do happen, or the challenges come, and you're left with a choice: will you let this fire consume you or purify you? Will you look at your sadness, or loss, or frustrations and see only ashes and the remains of what could have been, or will you see a chance to start again with more gratitude and awareness of what you do still have? Which is always so much. I'm not saying that the hard times don't suck. Especially when it feels like you've been collecting them, one after another, with no end in site. But I'm also finding that when things are bad, sometimes just feeling your emotions, standing in the fire, crying as much as you need to cry and being there in the middle of it all, is enough to purify you. So that when the flames start to disappear, you can look around and see that there is still a lot left. And see that there are people whose fires are 10x stronger than yours was, and whose fires will leave them with way less than you still have...which I guess is what we call gaining perspective. So, that's where I am right now after the past few months of mini-fires in my life. I'm feeling a little raw but also really [surprisingly] lucky. And thankful. I'm also feeling really confident in my answer to the question that I was asked on Saturday morning, "Mary Catherine, do you want me to put out this fire?" Yes, yes I do. Lets put out all of the fires, let the smoke clear, and start anew, shall we?   I almost didn't have it in me to write a blog post today. It was another really hard week around here; one of the toughest in a long time. In fact, when I think back on this summer, I realize it's been a pretty hard one for us, in general. Life has thrown quite a few challenging blows our way since June, and sometimes it's really hard to keep going with the basics--especially the optional responsibilities like writing SJOTW every Friday--when life is so emotionally-draining. But then I sat down to see what would come out when I started writing and I realized, hey, even though this week was tough there was [as usual!!!] still so much to be thankful for. Especially simple things. So here goes... HEAR: Bluetooth in my NEW car We found out late last week that my car was done (for us). We've put enough $$ into it in the past few years that we had decided if and when it needed a ton more work, we would cut our losses and just get a new one. That time finally came last week, so last weekend, we went and got me a new car (more on that below!). One of my *very* favorite things about my new car? The bluetooth. I've never had bluetooth before and it's a game-changer. From listening to podcasts, to playing Charlie Mae's favorite music, to talking on the phone, it's the BEST. SEE: Leslie Patricelli Board Books If you have a toddler, you must have some of these books. You probably already do, but if you don't, get some immediately. They're some of my absolute favorites; I love the illustrations, I love the simplicity, I love the humor, and I love what they teach Charlie Mae. Sara (Starr Struck's very own!) sent us a package with 3 more hand-me-down Patricelli books yesterday and it was so fun reading these new books at bedtime last night. TASTE: Burrito from our FAVORITE burrito place [that I thought had closed!!!! Shout-out Mi Pueblo!] Earlier this summer, I went to our favorite burrito place on their last week of being open. They confirmed that it was their last week when I sadly picked up our to-go order, and that was that. We've been missing it ever since. But yesterday, we were near it's old location and hungry, and Ben said that he wanted to double-check that they were really, truly closed (I assured him they were). But they weren't!!! We were THRILLED! Somehow they were able to stay open through the summer, so we got burritos yesterday and they were just as tasty as ever. Burritos FTW! SMELL: New car As I've already mentioned, I got a new car this week. But what I haven't mentioned? I've never had a new car. Not a single one in my entire life--every car I've ever driven has been a family hand-me-down or used (in fact, Ben and I did a whole podcast episode about this years ago. You can listen here). But this time, I got a new car and it feels SO special! I keep telling Ben that I feel like I look so flashy driving around in it and he has to remind me that it's the world's most basic car (a white Toyota RAV4) and that I look very normal and completely blend-in. Haha! Anyways, it's so fun + it's got that new car smell which is really something when your old car smelled like stale cheerios and sunscreen... TOUCH: Charlie Mae snuggles I know I talk about Charlie Mae snuggles all of the time, but this week, she really did make everything so much better. I feel so lucky to be her parent. I feel so lucky that she's ours. I've found that as a parent, whenever you get devastating family news, looking at your wondrous child who is unaware and just wants you to play with her and snuggle her helps you reconnect with just how lucky you are to have what you do have, and keeps you going in a way that you might not if you didn't have your child. She really is the best. I hope I don't sound too cryptic and annoying in today's post...just like when were dealing with the Sayde tragedy earlier this summer (BTW, we're *still* looking for a home for her if you have any leads!), when it was fresh and I was still processing everything, I wasn't ready to talk about it here. But eventually, I was able to. Same goes for this recent sadness--I promise I'll talk about it eventually, I'm just not ready to yet. If nothing else, I hope that today's post reminds you that even when life hits you with a big blow, there are still many glimmers of joy to be found (especially if you just happen to buy a new car that very same week, HAHAHAHA). Thanks for keeping me positive by showing up here to read, and thus, keeping me showing up and reflecting on my SJOTW. I hope your weekend is a lovely one!  
Thank you for your patience, everyone! I know it's been a *hot minute* since I got one of these classes out, but I had some technology/hardware issues that took a while to resolve. I've finally handled those issues and am up + running again so can happily say that I'm back in the audio class game!
And another piece of good news: due to lots of requests for shorter classes, the next few audio classes will be 1 hour long (or less). Hooray! You can learn more about this month's class below... Class Description: In this 55-minute audio yoga class we focus on twisting, cleansing, and releasing. We work with a number of wider twists, but build up to a tighter twist with an option for side crow (or parsva bakasana) near the end of class. This class is not for beginners; experienced practitioners only (Level 2-3 class). Recorded live. *Note: it might be handy to have 2 blocks available for this class! But you can definitely do it without them if you don't have access to blocks. How to Listen: You can listen directly from this website (player below) or on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher (search "Starr Struck Yoga: Live Yoga Classes"). If you subscribe to this "podcast" wherever you listen to podcasts, you will automatically get each new class that I post in your podcast feed on your phone. A Note About the Audio Quality: These classes are not professional recordings, so you will hear me mess up, you'll hear students sneeze, you'll hear me whisper a specific instruction to a specific student, and at times, the audio quality might not be the best. Apologies, but hey, they're free and as authentic as you can get without being in the actual class! ;) You can stream the class here: Enjoy! And as always, thanks for practicing with me from afar :) 
It's Friday again! They just keep on coming, don't they!? Oh, life.
No time for messing around today so lets get right down to biznass; here's what brought me joy this week... HEAR: I Don't Want: The Gold Fire Sessions by Santigold My brother sent me a text about this album a few weeks ago saying that Santigold is one of his favorite new artists he's come across in a long time; I immediately started listening--because he's a music snob but he has good taste--and I was hooked. She's so great! Listen to one of my faves from this album below: SEE: This video [of an amazing lady killing it at Missy Elliot karaoke] Some people just have it, ya know? And this woman, she does. This video made my week and maybe my month. I feel like she is basically me in another 10-15 years. Scroll down on this article to view the full video. It's SO good! The sound effects are the best. {Shout-out to my friend Jessica for sharing it with me!} TASTE: All of the summer fruits. We've had the following fruit in the house this week: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and watermelon. We're living the summer fruit dream over here and it's making m really happy. Well actually, I would have been happier if I didn't feel the pressure to save most of the berries for Charlie Mae, but still, SO good. SMELL: Charlie Mae's hair while I breastfed her for the last time I'm sure you already read the post about it, but in case you didn't, it's here. So yeah, nuzzling Charlie Mae's hair and smelling her amazing scent while trying to soak up our last breastfeeding "session" was pretty special. And sad (but in a good, love-filled way). TOUCH: My new yoga tanks--they're in! I am so happy with how my new yoga tanks turned out. They're super comfy, stretchy, soft, and roomy. Just how I like my yoga tops ;) Hopefully you've already received yours + you agree (if you pre-ordered)...and to those who didn't pre-order but want one, there are only a handful of smalls + mediums left so buy quickly! Also, a huge thanks to everyone who joined me for my AM Yoga Challenge this week! It's been *SO* fun and a total #SJOTW. Oh, and the beach last weekend--that was another great simple joy (but you can only list the beach every Friday of the summer for so long, you know!?!?). Have a great weekend! 
 I breastfed Charlie Mae for the very last time on Sunday, just about 3 weeks shy of her second birthday. Prior to becoming a mother, I had hoped to breastfeed her until she was at least one, but I obviously had no idea what that meant or if breastfeeding would even work for us. Clearly, it did. In fact, I'd say that of all of the possible challenges that a new mother can face, breastfeeding was one of the *very few* that I never had to struggle with. Sure, there were some small hiccups: the bleb (ugh I hate that word!) that made it painful for a few weeks, learning how to get into the "laid-back" position so that she wouldn't choke on my crazy milk flow when she was tiny, etc., but for the most part, it was really smooth. To those who struggled with breastfeeding, I hope I don't come across like I'm bragging or think I'm better than anyone else--Charlie Mae put us through the wringer in almost every other way possible in her first 14 months of life, so I feel like I've earned the right to celebrate this one small victory from her early days. [She also never took a bottle. Ever. So we had no choice but to lean into breastfeeding with everything we had. The no bottle thing was NOT easy). And as my friend Jessica so aptly put it (and as I like to quote over and over again), when it comes to parenting, "everybody gets theirs sooner or later." Breastfeeding was just one of the very few things that didn't blow up in my face as soon as I thought I'd gotten the hang of it. But now we're done. Just like that. To be clear, we've been almost done for a while. For the past 6 months-ish, Charlie Mae has only been breastfeeding in the mornings when she wakes up. We eliminated her other feeding (the one before bed) quite a while ago so that other people would be able to put her to sleep [for once in her ENTIRE life], and for a while there has been very little left for her to actually "drink." But, she has loved her "mommy milk" with a vengeance since Day 1 and I never felt the need to stop until recently. I won't go into all of the reasons that I felt it was time, but suffice it to say, it was. And Charlie Mae has been a rockstar about weaning. I prepared her for the change for the entire week leading up to her last morning of breastfeeding, and I reminded her on the last morning that this was the last time. I took the fuzzy, emotional selfie above in the 6:30am light and gave her lots of kisses on her head while she enjoyed her last few drops of breastmilk. I'm tearing up just writing this post about it, but as always, she's taken it like a little champ. For me, this is one of the craziest parts of being a mother (and when I say craziest, I mean it literally makes you feel like a crazy person): you can want to be done with a stage or a routine or even an entire week SO badly, and at the exact same time, be heartbroken about that stage or routine or week being over and miss it as soon as it's done. In other words, I can cry while thinking about how I'll never breastfeed Charlie Mae again and I can also be simultaneously relieved to be done breastfeeding and to finally have my body back [as much as you can "have" your body when you also have a toddler, haha]. Oh, and in case you thought I wasn't going to say it in this post, let me mention (one. more. time.) that motherhood is all of the emotions all of the time forever and ever amen. It's love and boredom and excitement and energy and exhaustion and joy and frustration and elation and misery and laughter and tears and anger and courage and perfection and the biggest mess possible all rolled up into a child-sized burrito full of stuffed animals and food and tantrums and kisses. Wow, it's something!! But back to breastfeeding: I just can't believe that this era of my life with Charlie Mae is over and I want to say, right here and now, how grateful I am that this one small part of her early years came so naturally to both of us. We mamas gotta celebrate the small victories, no matter what they are (!!!). And maybe now that we're done with breastfeeding, I'll [eventually] spend my first night away from her...and years from now, when she's a teenager, I'll try not to gross her out by telling her how much she loved my boobs when she was a baby... But I can't make any promises ;)   Boom: here we are. First Friday in August. This is Charlie Mae's birthday month (she'll be 2 on the 24th!) and I can't believe we're here already. Also, happy International Breastfeeding Week! I started a post about my breastfeeding experience (we're still going but it's coming to an end) and had hoped to get it up this week, but alas, it will be coming next week instead. Stay tuned for that (for those of you who care about BF, haha). In the meantime, lets talk simple, sensory joys! Here's what made me smile over the past week.... HEAR: Amy Schumer Presents: 3 Girls, 1 Keith Podcast I love Amy Schumer so it's no surprise that I also love her new podcast. Not sure why it took me so long to find out about it (it came out in late June) but I'm glad I finally did! If you like her humor, you'll really enjoy this one. SEE: Charlie Mae with her "Mingo" float Charlie Mae's Great Aunt (shout-out Ninny!) gave her a flamingo float at the lake last weekend and it basically made her life. It also made mine to see how much she LOVED riding in this thing and floating in the water. She even tried to ride it at home and was kissing it all afternoon. We're headed back to the lake with Mingo today; I can't wait to watch her fall in love all over again. TASTE: Plum tomatoes from our very own tomato plant :) I don't have a green thumb and would never pretend that I do. I love the idea of being a person who has a veggie garden in the backyard, but at this point in my life I'm just not there. Maybe in a few years...(a girl can dream!)? However, my mother-in-law planted a few tomato plants in pots for us at the beginning of the summer and they've now been producing ripe tomatoes and it's so fun! They're really tasty--like little pieces of healthy candy. SMELL: Rodan + Fields Lash Boost To be fair, I don't know if this has a scent or not, but I'm going to pretend it does so that I can give it a shout-out. If you've seen me in-person lately, you might have noticed that my lashes are WAY longer than they've ever been in my life. That's because of this little product that I've been using. It's like clear eyeliner that you just swipe onto your top lash line at night...a few weeks later, voila! Your lashes are super long and lush! Huge fan. If you need a R+F rep/contact shoot me an email and I'll connect you with mine :) TOUCH: Cleaning out my studio (!!!) I'm sure you saw on Instagram (and the blog post about my original art sale), but in case you didn't, let me tell you that I spent a few hours cleaning out my workspace this week (it had become almost unworkable + super overwhelming) and it feels AMAZING. There's nothing like a big cleaning to make you feel refreshed + more clearheaded, ya know? And there you go; another week in the books. I hope you have a lovely weekend and can find the time to reflect on your simple, sensory joys of the week today, too. Also: my Juice + Loose AM Yoga Challenge is happening next week at Centerville Yoga! There aren't many spaces left but you can still sign up through Saturday. Learn more + reserve your space here. Have a great weekend!  |
HELLO!I'm Mary Catherine, a Cape Cod-based yoga teacher, painter, designer, writer, mom, and list-maker extraordinaire. My goal is to inspire you to start living a more creative, simple, joyful, + purposeful life.
{Learn more + read my story} 
|
|
|
|
|
NEW READER?
HOW TO EARN A LIVING TEACHING YOGA eBOOK
THE PODCAST
REGULAR COLUMNS
Audio Yoga Classes
Love This!
Mat Matters
Motherhood Monthly
Reading Lists {Seasonal}
Simple Joys of the Week
Simply Sugarless
Starr Struck Radio
Love This!
Mat Matters
Motherhood Monthly
Reading Lists {Seasonal}
Simple Joys of the Week
Simply Sugarless
Starr Struck Radio
RECEIVE VIA EMAIL
RECENT INSTAS
VISIT MY ETSY SHOP
TOPICS
A Dress a Day
Art
Blogging
Book Recommendations
Clean Creations
Creativity + DIY
Etsy Collections
From the Archives
Healthy Lifestyle
Home Improvement
Life Lessons
Logo Design
Malebox
Motherhood
Music
Paintings + Process
Parenting
Personal Essays
Pregnancy
Recipes
Relationships
Sayde Sundays
Self-Employment
Slowing Down
Snapshots
Teaching Yoga
Weddings
Yoga
JOIN ME
