 This week = exhausting. Emotionally, because of the Sayde post and all of the time spent processing, discussing, and working on finding her a new home, and physically, because my days with Charlie Mae have been starting much earlier. As she's gotten older and the summer has continued, Charlie Mae has slowly been moving up her wake-up time...she used to sleep until 7 or 7:30am every day, but over the past month she's moved to 6:30, then 6, and now, this week, she's settled at about 5:45. NO!!!! I think every parent reading this knows just how I feel. Anyway, even though this week was a tiring one, I was still able to identify lots of simple, sensory joys when I reflected back on the past 7 days. What brought you happiness this week? My #SJOTW are below... HEAR: Music + podcasts from my phone via my car speakers (aka I got an Aux Cord) This is embarrassing, but I had absolutely NO idea that there was a thing called an "aux" outlet in my car and assumed that because I don't have a tape deck (haha) and my car cigarette lighter is broken (also haha) that I had no way to connect my phone to my car speakers. WRONG! My friend Olivia showed me that for the price of a $5 aux cord, I now have in-car iPhone listening capabilities. Welcome to the future, Mary Catherine. SEE: The outpouring of love + support re: Sayde I have seriously been blown away by the response to Monday's post about Sayde. Thank you all so much for the support, messages of love and understanding, and interest in helping us find her a new home. Many of you have asked me to keep you updated and I promise I will; at this point we still don't have any promising leads but we're going to continue making calls and sending emails on our end and in the meantime, hope that some of the shares from all of you will reach the right person. TASTE: Ice Cream on National Ice Cream Day Duh. But also, every day is National Ice Cream day in our family. Charlie Mae loves ice cream just as much as (or more than?) Ben and I do, and that's saying A LOT. Nothing gets our girl more excited than the words, "Want to go get ice cream?" We can't even keep it in the house because if she sees it, she wants it for every single meal. And I get it, I really do. [Also, the addictive quality of sugar is scary.] SMELL: Neuro Style Protect HeatCTRL Iron Hairspray Since I got my hair cut short, I've been straightening it a lot more after blow drying. When I told my stylist this, she recommended this product to protect my hair from the heat. I don't know if it's saving my hair or not (lets hope so!), but I will tell you that it's one of the best smelling products I've ever used. I smell it in my hair for at least 24 hours after using it and it's divine. TOUCH: Being pain-free after dealing with a *very minor* injury I always forget how much it sucks to be injured until I get injured. I just ALWAYS take my health for granted until something goes wrong, and this past week's minor injury was no different. I had a weird wrist sprain that flared up late last week and lasted through Tuesday; it was so painful that I went to that place in my mind where I thought it was possible that I would never be able to practice yoga in the same way again. Then after a little rest it just went away and man, am I thankful to have a working wrist again. I love this old body of mine--weird aches + pains and all. Other SJOTW? An impromptu family trip to the beach yesterday (SO lovely), a butt-kicking Barre class that left me super sore (in a good way), the perfect weather we've been having, a much-needed therapy session, and of course, lots of amazing snuggles from both of my girls. There's just so much to be grateful for in this life. Also, a reminder that my new yoga tanks are available for pre-order through Monday! Here's a blog post with the scoop and here's where you can purchase yours. Thanks to all of you who have purchased already! Have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you back here next week.   Your votes have been counted and although it was a close race, the above color combo--Berry Red + Bright Sky Blue--is the winning color combo! Thanks for your excitement over this tank and for sharing your opinion. I'm excited to change things up + print such a bright, summery top! ;) Details about the tank are below... Description: Super soft and comfy Berry Red racerback tank top with a hand-drawn floral OM symbol printed on the front in bright blue ink. Small "Starr Struck" logo on the upper back of the tank in the same bright blue ink. The tank is 100% cotton ("Satin Jersey") and has a high-low shirttail hemline. It's a perfect tank for keeping cool on a warm day (or in a warm yoga class!), and is also great for layering under warmer pieces. Sizing: Available in SM, MED, LG, and XL. Sizing (measurements) listed in product images on Etsy. Price: $28 + shipping {Note: if you're local and want to save on shipping, just enter the code LOCALPICKUP at checkout and we can arrange pick-up via message or email} Ordering Info: The tanks are now available for pre-order in my Etsy shop and will be shipping out in a few weeks. Pre-orders will be available until through Monday, July 23rd. Thanks again + happy shopping! ;)   Before you read this post I need you to read the following: This post is not a request for advice or judgment. I don't want your ideas on how to "fix" the situation because it is not fixable and we have literally done *everything* we possibly can to avoid this situation. Everything. I wouldn't even be sharing this information at this time (or in this way) except for the fact that after trying to handle it on our own in a quiet way and with local resources, we are desperate for help from the collective internet community and this is the only way that I know how to get it. If you cannot comply with my request for ONLY helpful, tangible re-homing ideas and no other advice or judgment, please don't comment on this post on social media or email me. You can, of course, express empathy + love. We all could always use more of that ;) So, here goes... In early June, our beloved dog of 4.5 years, Sayde, attacked our 2-year old daughter, Charlie Mae. It was a very, very, very scary attack that I watched happen right in front of my eyes, and without going into detail about the incident, suffice it to say that it landed Charlie Mae in the ER with multiple deep wounds on her face and left us all VERY shaken up. For the first 48-hours or so after the attack, I was just focused on Charlie Mae and taking care of her, relieved that she wasn't hurt more but heartbroken that she was hurt as badly as she was. As her wounds started to heal and I came out of the fog caused by my fear for her safety, I started to realize what I didn't want to admit: we could no longer keep Sayde. I spoke with multiple dog experts, our trainer, our vet, trusted family members, + fellow dog-loving parents, and everyone continued to tell me what I didn't want to hear--the attack was bad enough that it would no longer be safe to keep Sayde in a house with children. For those who want to look for someone to blame (and believe me, I understand that urge), let me tell you that we did everything we could to avoid this scenario. While she had never done anything like this before, we did know that Sayde had food aggression issues around people and that she is aggressive with other dogs and strangers coming to our house. Because of her aggression issues we've trained her multiple times over the years, including our most recent 3-week Boot Camp Training with a renowned local trainer. We had also stopped feeding her human food, we never let her in the kitchen when food was being prepared, and we never let Charlie Mae eat food around her. We never left Charlie Mae and Sayde in a room together (ever). We never let them near each other without one of us in between them or monitoring the situation. We were very conscientious dog owners and parents. We were on high alert when it came to our dog and our child. But even when you're careful, all it takes is one split second and something like this can happen. In Sayde's defense, she wasn't trying to hurt Charlie Mae--she is an animal who saw food out and believed, in a moment when both she and Charlie Mae were running into the house from outside, that she was competing with Charlie Mae for that food. She was out of her mind and I know without a doubt that she didn't mean to hurt Charlie Mae the way she did. But she did. Although I know she sounds vicious after this recent incident, if you've been following my blog, social media, or podcast over the years, you'll know that most of the time Sayde is anything but. She is SUCH a snugglebug; she sits in my lap or at my feet almost all day long as I work. She sleeps in our bed, under the covers, often curled up against my belly. If there is someone on the couch, she is in their lap or cuddling with them, licking their face, asking for rubs, etc. She loves to play tug-of-war and ball, loves long walks (on a leash, of course) and NEVER tires. Plus, she is extremely devoted and loyal to her family. She has been an amazing dog and we are beyond devastated that we cannot keep her. So, I am asking for your help: we need to find a new home for Sayde. All of the rescues that I've called won't work with us in helping find her a new home because she is a liability risk. They don't feel comfortable placing her and I understand that. BUT, I know in my heart of hearts that there is a perfect home out there for Sayde and that she could make someone else just as happy as she's made us. If this hadn't happened, we wouldn't have given Sayde up in 1 million years. Thus, if you know of anyone who might be looking for a lap dog that will become his or her BFF in no time, here is some more information about Sayde and what she needs: Sayde is about 5.5 or 6 years old and weighs around 12 lbs. We believe she is a Dacshund/Miniature Pinscher/Russell Terrier mix. She's up-to-date on her shots and dental cleanings (haha) and is a wonderful little companion and lover. Here's what she needs in her next forever home: -No other pets -No children -Minimal strangers coming and going Because of her anxiety, Sayde is not great in public places with other dogs or tons of people. She does obey the commands she learned in her most recent training (sit, down, stay, heel, place, come), but we are still training her and would encourage her new owner(s) to do so, as well. We will be doing screenings and if possible, home visits, for anyone who is interested in adopting her, and of course we would want any adoptees to be fully aware of her history and needs in order to keep both Sayde and all humans (and dogs) who come into contact with her safe. Please help me spread the word by sharing this blog post, asking around, contacting any dog rescue peeps you know, etc. If you come across any leads you can email me with ideas, message me on social media, or comment on this post on social media (comments are intentionally turned off here on the blog). Again, please do not send ideas for a solution that would help us keep Sayde. If there was any way that we could do that or any solution that would fix the safety issue in our home, we would have already come to it. Thank you for reading and for understanding how hard this is for our family.   Happy Friday! I hope you had a wonderful week. Mine was so quick it's silly, but we won't go there because I'm sick of that sentiment... ;) Thanks for all of the feedback you've sent my way regarding my new yoga tank design! So glad you guys like it :) The voting is fairly neck-in-neck between your 2-3 top favorites, so if you haven't voted yet please do so before the end of the day today so that it's easier for me to decide which shirt to print!!! I'm quite torn on my favorite, too. But enough admin, lets talk about our simple, sensory joys of the week! What made you smile over the past 7 days? My favorite simple pleasures are below... HEAR: Drake's new album, Scorpion There are many reasons that I love Spotify, but one of the main ones is that I get to hear albums like this one--albums that I might not have bought before but am curious to listen to--right when they come out. And guess what? I'm really loving Scorpion so I'm glad that I got the chance to listen! Drake is seriously just too cool for school and I'm starting to think that I'm a bigger fan than I realized. SEE: Tell Me Lies: A Novel by Carola Loverling I starting reading this book (from my Summer Reading List) late last week and it has been keeping me up every night reading because it just feels so real and it's so heart-wrenching. It's about this on-and-off again, unhealthy relationship that starts in college and continues after. It's a really interesting story about the power of chemistry and why so many people return to toxic relationships (over and over again) despite knowing that they're toxic. I highly recommend it! TASTE: Watermelon watermelon watermelon! We have been eating SO much watermelon around here. We just can't get enough! It's the best. I might even go out on a limb and say it's my favorite summer fruit... SMELL: Hydrangeas in bloom!!!! Hydrangeas don't really have a scent per se, but I had to include them here anyway because the hydrangeas on Cape Cod are all in full bloom and it is GLORIOUS. Every year I forget how beautiful they really are and then they bloom and I'm just in awe. We have one monster plant in our front yard (pictured above; our others are growing slowly) and every time I look at it I feel happier. TOUCH: Charlie Mae's "new" house Our sweet daycare provider had a neighbor giving away an outdoor playhouse and when it was offered to her, thought of us instead because she knows how much Charlie Mae loves outdoor play structures (and we didn't have any! #momfail). We picked it up on Wednesday night and Charlie Mae has basically been living in this thing. It's so sweet to play house with her and although it might not seem like it would be, it's a very tactile experience. We do a lot of "cooking" + "eating" with grass, rocks, dirt, flowers, etc. It's great. And there you go! I hope you can find the time to reflect on your #SJOTW today, too. Have a wonderful weekend! 
Once again, I need your help! I'm finally getting my summer tank design ordered but I can't decide which color combo I like best. What do you think?
Help me decide by casting your vote below (vote for your 2 favorites!):
Which color combo is your favorite?
Created with PollMaker
Voting will be open through Friday, 7/13 and I'll pick a design over the weekend. Stay tuned next week for the final design and a chance to pre-order the chosen color combo... Thanks for your input! 
 {Images above: the adorable little reason for the following...} Last week, I did laundry on Monday. I carried the basket of clean clothes upstairs in between things and dumped it out on the bed so I could fold it later. At bedtime, I went upstairs and found our bed covered with clean clothes. So I scooped them up and put them all back in the basket, put the basket on the floor, and got into bed. The next day after hastily pulling the comforter over the bed to make a "clean" flat surface, I dumped all of the clothes back on the bed to be folded. That night, when I went to get into bed, I once again scooped up the unfolded clothes and shoved them back into the basket. You would think I would learn, but this happened on Wednesday, too. I finally folded the clothes on Thursday. -- In late December, I ran out of contact lenses. The first appointment I could get that would be covered by my insurance was in early March, so I decided I would go without contacts until March and then get new ones. When the day of my March appointment rolled around, we had a huge snowstorm and the Eye Doctor's office called to tell me that they were closed and would call me back to reschedule after the storm. I missed their follow-up call the next week and still haven't called them back to reschedule. I've been without contacts for over 7 months. The other day I looked out the window at the fuzzy leaves on the tree across the street and remembered my missed appointment and the fact that I used to wear contacts. Then I thought, hmmmm...maybe I don't need contacts, after all!? -- A few months ago, Charlie Mae was having a blast sitting in the driver's seat of my car, pushing all of the buttons on the dashboard (as you do). The next time that I turned my car on, I found that the radio settings had somehow been changed so that sound only comes out of the back speakers. I have no idea how to fix this and no time to look up how to fix it so for weeks now, when driving around, I have to decide if I want to listen to music that is just a tiny buzzing from the backseat or drive in silence. I mostly drive in silence [for longer rides I put on my headphones and listen to a podcast. Duh.] -- The debris in our garage--the Elephant Graveyard of our household for the past two years--has been building and building. This past weekend I finally couldn't take it anymore so I started cleaning it out with about 15 minutes until the lunchtime/naptime routine and while in charge of Charlie Mae (not my most productive time of the day). We don't really drink beer around here, so every time we've hosted a cookout and had leftover beer, we've stowed the unused cans in the garage, leaving us with a garage floor littered with little clusters of half-used 12-packs (again, #ElephantGraveyard). As a part of my quick cleaning job, I decided to start rounding up the beers, stacking them all up on a shelf. When Charlie Mae saw what I was doing she was overjoyed to see a job she could help me with. One by one she would bring me a dirty, spiderweb and who-know-what-else-covered beer can and say, "'Nother seltzer mommy???" -- During a snowstorm in February or March, the rubber padding on my back windshield wiper came off, rendering my back windshield wiper unusable. I've been without a back windshield wiper ever since. -- It's really easy to let the burden of all of these little things (and there are OH SO MANY more where these come from) get me down. But every time that my mind starts to go down the "undone" rabbithole (which I've talked about here before), I just have to remind myself that I am raising a special little human being right now; that every unfixed windshield wiper, dusty garage floor "seltzer," and silent car ride is worth it. Charlie Mae won't remember whether or not the clothes went unfolded for a week or whether or not I could see with my eyes (HAHAHA), but she will remember the quality time we spent together dancing to Hokey Pokey in the kitchen (actually, she probably won't remember that because she's so young but you understand the sentiment). And as annoying as all of these undone tasks are, in a weird way, they're also a reminder that my priorities are in the right place right now. And that we're not "failing at life," as Ben keeps saying when he remembers something we've let fall through the cracks (Ben...), but that we're doing our very best and that's all we can do. At least that's what I keep telling myself. Over and over again. But I should probably get my eyes checked and contacts reordered, huh?   What a weird week, huh? So strange when a holiday falls on a Wednesday....especially when you live in a summer vacation spot and it's like the whole world descends on your stomping grounds out of nowhere! It's been 2 weeks since my last SJOTW and I have to say, I missed writing it last week while on vacation (not enough to pull out my laptop and write, of course, but I was aware of the loss, hahaha). That being said, I won't dwell on Nantucket here (I said enough about it on social media last week), but suffice it to say that the trip was AMAZING. It really is one of my favorite places to spend time. Especially since it's so easy to get to but truly feels like a removed island, away from it all. How was your week? Wonderful and relaxing, I hope? Here are a few of the sensory, simple joys that brought me happiness over the past week. I hope you find some time to reflect on your SJOTW today, too... HEAR: "Sri Gurvastakam" by The Polish Ambassador Yogis and yoga teachers: put this song on your class playlists! It's on my new July playlist and I'm loving it. It's perfect for those parts of class when you want to build energy and kick things up a notch. Find all of my playlists here or by following me on Spotify. SEE: Charlie Mae + the "Baa Boys" Yesterday, me, Charlie Mae, and her Great Aunt Nancy went to a local farm called "Saturday Farm" to meet two sheep (one of Charlie Mae's favorite animals). Charlie Mae was head-over-heels for these sheep and I loved watching her watch them (and touch/chase/talk to them). Kids + farm animals are just the cutest together. *One more huge visual SJOTW this week: when Charlie Mae wanted to wear her "packpack" to daycare on Monday to show all of her friends. I almost started crying when I saw the image shown above. I MEAN...!!!!!! TASTE: Ice Cream from The Juice Bar One of my very favorite things about Nantucket? The Juice Bar! Deceiving name, I know, but their ice cream is INCREDIBLE. We had it multiple times on our trip last week, including on our last night (Friday) as a final hoorah. So good. SMELL: July 4th grilling/cookouts (cliche but true) We enjoyed two 4th of July get-togethers this week and both were FULL of delicious food made on the grill (and off of it). It was really hot and I may have been sweating while eating (not my favorite thing), but there's something about eating outside in July that just feels right. TOUCH: Swimming in the ocean As mentioned above, it was SUPER hot here this week and thus, the ocean felt really good. We went swimming multiple times when we were at the beach on Wednesday and it was heavenly. I love the ocean so much and still cannot believe I live right by it...will I ever get over this fact?! And there you have it. I hope you had a lovely week, too. Enjoy the weekend and I'll see you back here next week!   Oh you guys, last week's trip to Nantucket was so dreamy! As you probably saw on Instagram (where all the Starr Struck action is happening these days), the trip included 6 adults and 1 toddler [who took long daily naps] and I actually got to read on the beach twice. TWICE!!! As a #todlermom, I seriously felt like I was living my best possible "vacation" life on this trip. Plus, doing that tiny bit of beach reading got me thinking about how much I want to do lots more beach reading this summer (a fantasy that might be possible given that we live 5 mins from the beach...), and reminded me to pull together my summer reading list to share with you. Thus, today's post! Here are some of the fun, beachy, *mostly* light-hearted fiction books that are on my 2018 Summer Reading List:
Happy July, happy warm weather, happy reading, + happy Independence Day to you!   This week. Man. Way better than last week from a personal standpoint, but way worse if you look at our country as a whole. Ever since hearing about what's been happening at the borders last weekend, I've been totally heartsick for the affected children + their families, and I'm sure you have too (I know most people are, no matter their political beliefs). I won't harp on it here but I will say that I haven't said anything yet because I haven't found the words. I have donated, though, and that's the least you can do if you're heartbroken, too. Here's a link where you can donate to Together Rising, which is doing wonderful work to help these families. But just like I said last week, even when bad things are happening all around you, you can still find beauty + joy in the world. So here are some of the simple pleasures that brought me happiness over the past week... HEAR: Caliphate {Podcast from the NYT} I am addicted to this podcast. Another binge-worthy, super eye-opening, very educational series that I *highly* recommend. It's about the Islamic State and Isis and although that might not sound like my usual podcast cup of tea, I promise you that if you listen, you will be hooked. Also, it's made me feel much more informed on what has happened in Iraq over the past 15 years. SEE: Ben at the beach on Father's Day I haven't seen Ben as relaxed and happy as he was at the beach on Father's Day in a loooong time. We woke up, had pancakes (I made them from!), and then got our butts to the beach for 3 hours straight. It was glorious! It was the perfect temp and despite Ben and I both getting super burnt, the day was perfect. TASTE: Graham Crackers I've become SUCH a mom; and I've become that mom--the one who said she wasn't going to let her young child have anything artificially sweetened and is then so desperate to get her child to eat more (Something! Anything!) that she buys graham crackers for her when she wants them at the grocery store (at least they were organic? HAHAHA). And then guess who gets addicted to the grahams? That's right--this mama. But they're soooo good!?!? SMELL: Hair cut Does anyone else LOVE how your hair smells after you get a hair cut? And does anyone else have a dog who goes crazy sniffing your hair when you get back from said hair cut because your scent is so different? I got my hair cut yesterday (I went a little shorter!) and it was great. It makes me feel so pampered and fresh. Shout-out to my fab stylist Kate Scott! TOUCH: Elite Nation Cycle class One of my amazing clients and favorite places to take fitness classes {Wellbeloved Wellness} opened an indoor cycling studio this week! I took my first class there on Monday and it was a blast. I hadn't done cardio like that in a long time and I left feeling really good. It's a "ride to the beat" studio so the lights are down, the music is up, and you feel like you're in another world. Loved it! Highly recommend if you're local. And that's it for me this week! We leave for a week-long trip to Nantucket tomorrow so I'll probably be quiet over here next week, but I'll see you back here the week of July 4th! I hope you have a wonderful first official weekend of official summer ;)   You guys know how much I love podcasts, right!!?!? And how much I enjoyed doing Starr Struck Radio with Ben and then Sara? It was so hard for me to put SSR on [another] extended hiatus a few months ago, but the good news is that when one [podcasting] door closes, another one opens... So, I'm excited to announce that I'm getting back into the podcast game this fall with a new show, Built on Cape Cod: A Cape Made Podcast! I'm partnering with the amazing ladies at LoveLiveLocal to bring you this podcast focused on sharing the stories, challenges, and lessons-learned by local entrepreneurs from all walks of life and all corners of Cape Cod. The podcast will launch in September and our goal is to help our listeners gain insight, be inspired + entertained, and discover the history behind their favorite local brands, establishments, and products. Obviously this podcast is very different than Starr Struck Radio and is more geared towards my fellow Cape Codders, but if you're interested in small businesses, entrepreneurship, and/or working for yourself, I promise that there will be a lot to for you to learn, too--whether or not you've actually heard of the businesses that we're discussing. I will be sharing more about this podcast as the launch date gets closer, but in the meantime, you can check out the website here. Thanks for your continued support in all things Starr Struck!   One of the many reasons I love the internet is that it gave us all the tools to become entreprenuers. It leveled the playing field in a number of ways and now, if you want to create your dream job or make more money through a side hustle, you can. It may just be the world I'm in (I'm sure it is), but these days, I know very few people who have just one job. The ability to start and promote a side business online combined with the rise of direct selling/multilevel marketing companies (Beautycounter, Young Living, LulaRoe, Rodan + Fields, etc.) have led us to this point where anyone who wants to can start a small biz and if she works hard enough, can eventually work for herself. It's the best! I've been navigating this new entrepreneurial landscape in some way, shape, or form for almost 8 years now, and as I've witnessed more + more people do the same, I've observed the following signs that you've become a modern solopreneur or side-hustler:
Fellow solopreneurs, side-hustlers, and entrepreneurs: what else would you add to the list? ;) Long live the modern entrepreneur!  
If you follow me on Instagram (where I'm focusing most of my social media energy these days) you'll know this already, but if you don't, I'll say it again here:
We had a really hard week prompted by a scary/horrible incident that happened on Monday. I'm not ready to talk about it yet, but I will eventually, I promise (and I'm not fishing here, it just feels weird to not mention this big thing that turned my world upside down this week...but I'm still too upset to really put it out there and want to finish processing before I do). That being said, we're all okay(ish) and I don't want you to worry. AND I want to say that even though it was a bad week, there was still lots of beauty and simple joys to be had around here. I went to a lovely yoga class yesterday that was much-needed, we've had some great weather, we got together with friends twice, and I've also enjoyed the following... HEAR: "Between" by Satsang and Nahko This song is on myJune class playlist and I love it. It's so fun and uplifting! It made me smile a bit every time it came on while I was teaching this week. Listen below: SEE: A gorgeous bouquet of flowers from Bee & Blossom I have the best friends. I really do. And I'm always even more thankful for them when things are hard because they are 100% there for me. Also, they're crazy thoughtful! Case in point: I received the most beautiful bouquet of flowers from one of my dear friends yesterday and they brightened my day immensely. Shout-out to local florist Bee & Blossom who did such a wonderful job, too! TASTE: First two cookouts of the season We had some family over for a cookout last Saturday and then on Sunday we (and by "we," I mean Ben) fired up the grill again and cooked enough food for the entire week; I had forgotten how delicious grilled summer meals are! And how fun it is to eat outside on the back deck! Yum (and thanks for being our Grillmaster/Household Chef, Ben!). SMELL: Beach with my girlie Charlie Mae and I went to the beach for just a short trip this week and it was really wonderful. It makes me so happy that she loves the beach as much as she does and I still can't believe that she's going to grow up as a Cape Cod girl (!!!). The beach is truly one of my main happy places in life and this week's trip reminded me of how grateful I am that we ended up on this gorgeous sandbar. I'll never get sick of the sensory experience that is the beach; it's a healer, that's for sure. TOUCH: Patagonia Better Sweater Jacket I know I just said that we had gorgeous weather this week--and we have--but believe it or not, it has still been light jacket season on Cape Cod, especially in the evenings. I got this jacket through a sweet deal my younger brother secured via his hustle skillz (haha) and while he didn't understand why I would want to order a jacket in May, I'm so glad I did because I've already worn it a bunch of times. I love me some quality Patagonia! And that's it. Life has it's ups-and-downs, but it's simple pleasures are always there, shining light on [sometimes] otherwise dreary days. I hope your week was also filled with small sensory pleasures. See you back here next week. xo 
 I was listening to an episode of the On Being podcast yesterday (this one--it's definitely worth a listen!) and the host, Krista Tippett, said, "Children teach us that love in it's purest form is a kind of service." When I heard her say this, I immediately pressed pause to jot it down. Let me repeat it for you: Children teach us that love in it's purest form is a kind of service. In one quick sentence, this quote distilled motherhood for me in a way that I had never heard it distilled before--love as service, love that is so strong that you would do (and do do) everything for that person. And not necessarily in a sacrificial or selfless way (although it can be in that way, too), but because you want to. This kind of service-based love is new for me. Maybe because before becoming a mother, I was never a super service-oriented person (or should I just say, because I was very selfish with my time and energy?). I've never had to be the primary caretaker of a sick or disabled family member or friend, I've never volunteered long-term in one particular area of service, I've never had a job as a caretaker, and besides Sayde, I'd never had another being rely on me for survival. But now that I'm a mom, I really do see that pure love is a kind of service. I want to give Charlie Mae everything she could ever need. I don't because I can't (and because I know that ultimately, that wouldn't be good for her), but I am "at her service" and I actually enjoy it (not all the time, of course, but most of the time). It feels good to think about someone else, to be pulled out of my brain and out of the endless loops of my monkey mind, and instead, be forced into the present moment by a toddler who needs me and needs me NOW. It also feels good to love someone SO much that I want to do things for her that I don't particularly enjoy. It's nice to love someone so much that when I find a booger on her leg, I pick it off without even thinking about it--and then it gets stuck on my finger in public and I can't get it off and there are no tissues in sight but I'm still not grossed out (ha!). It's a relief to take care of her and know that I'm doing something important even if it only looks like I'm sitting in the grass in the back yard playing with weeds. After I heard this quote about having children I called Ben and read it to him. I said to him, "We need to remember this--that love in it's purest form is a kind of service--and do more for each other. Because it's true, when someone does things for you it makes you feel more loved and doing someone for someone else is a tangible act of love." I think this is the part of love that I often forget about. I know love is a feeling and an emotion and that it's really powerful. I know that when it's the healthy kind of love, love motivates and dictates and inspires. But I often forget that love is a kind of service. It's a choice to take care of someone else and to be there for them even when you don't necessarily want to be. That's what makes true, long-term love so hard but also makes it so special. And that's what motherhood has taught me without my even realizing it until now: in it's purest form, love is a kind of service. I am so grateful that I get to serve Charlie Mae as her mother.   Wow, what a week! It was super fun + jam-packed and I am exhausted. And not from momming, mind you--this time it's from teaching yoga! I taught my "Juice + Loose" Morning Yoga Challenge this week and it wiped. me. out. Adding five 6:30am classes to my already full weekly schedule was a lot; good thing I had a *total* blast teaching it or I wouldn't feel quite as satisfied with this bone-tired feeling ;) How was your week? I hope it was wonderful and you can find some time to reflect on the little things that brought you happiness today. Here are my favorite simple, sensory joys of the week... HEAR: 30 for 30 Podcasts, BIKRAM Have you heard of this podcast? The most recent season, Season #3, is a 5-part docu-series on Bikram and it was fascinating. Horrifying and horrible but really well done and very eye-opening. If you have any interest in the yoga world at all, I highly recommend it (and even if you don't--it's a great podcast!). I listened to the entire thing in just two days. {Thanks to all of my students who recommended it to me!} SEE: Rhododendrons in bloom at Heritage Museum & Gardens The rhododendrons are in bloom on Cape Cod and they're beautiful! Last weekend we joined some friends at Heritage Museum & Gardens for some kid fun + flower-spotting and it did not disappoint. The gardens were so beautiful and we all had a wonderful time! Charlie Mae really loved the carousel (riding on the "neighs"). TASTE: Morning cereal bonanza Charlie Mae was uninterested in all of our usual breakfast options this week (and come to think of it, so was I), so we came up with a new breakfast that we're both loving. It's basically everything you can think of poured into a bowl with milk on top: cheerios, granola, walnuts, flax seeds, chia seeds, berries of some sort, and shredded coconut. Each day this week we sat side-by-side with two spoons and shared a bowl in the morning and it was really sweet. A little messy, but sweet nonetheless. SMELL: Pedicure I finally got a pedicure this week! It had been waaaaayyy too long. And sure, my big toe chipped just a few hours after getting it, but it still felt wonderful and all of my toes but my big toe look good so hey, whatevs ;) TOUCH: Soft toddler skin Charlie Mae is *obsessed* with being "makey" (naked) right now, so I've gotten to spend a lot of time cuddling and rubbing her soft-as-velvet skin this week; as you can tell, I'm not disappointed about it. Yes, of course this means that it has also been harder to get her dressed than usual, but the soft snuggles have made it all worth it. ...And that's it for now! Thanks for stopping by + thanks to everyone who joined me for my morning yoga challenge over the past 5 days :) I hope your weekend is chock full of simple joys!   These paintings! I want to fill my house with them and sit amongst them and just stare at them all day long. They make me so happy! They're by CA-based artist Teagan McLarnan, who creates them using Egg Tempera, one of the few types of paint that I know next to nothing about...but man, does she know how to work it to create these dreamy pieces of art. You can view some of my favorite paintings from McLarnan's succulent series below:         Wow, right? Just wow. Makes me want to stop what I'm going and go paint (or plant some succulents) right this minute. You can view more work by McLarnan on her website and you can purchase her work at Elliott Fouts Gallery. I hope your day is as colorful as these paintings!  |
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} 
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