 I took the first pic above when I was 39 weeks pregnant with Teddy (and I had him 4 days later). I took the second pic when he was a few days over 2 weeks old. I took the third pic on Tuesday, a few days after he turned 39 weeks old. As I look at this little sequence of images, I'm reminded of a sentiment expressed in an Instagram post that I shared in my story last week (by @mytherapisthelps): Bad news: a lot can change in a year. Good news: a lot can change in a year. These past few months of Teddy's short life have been hard, but they've also been filled with amazing growth, love, laughter, + more time at home as a family than ever expected at 8-9 months postpartum. Life, huh? What we're going through right now is CRAZY (and for those who have been personally touched by COVID-19, devastating), but sometime in the not-too-distant future this time period will be just a memory. I hope we can all keep this in mind as we stay at home and take care of one another... Side note: I still CANNOT believe that babies grow in bellies. How magical is that!?!?!?! Sending *so much* love from our home to yours.   Even though we're all still staying home, I'm back to teaching yoga [after a brief COVID-19-dictated hiatus] and I couldn't be happier about it! Until our yoga studios are up-and-running again, you can practice with me virtually via Zoom at the following times EST:
All classes are $12 and you can register online through CentervilleYoga.com (link below) or on the Mindbody App (search "Centerville Yoga & Wellness Center" in Centerville, MA). After you register for class you'll receive an email with a link to the class; this email will arrive at least 30 mins before the class starts. Registration will close 30 minutes prior to class. Even though I've only taught one class so far, it was AMAZING seeing so many familiar, beloved faces from near + far and I look forward to continuing to connect with you all online (until we can connect in-person again)! Sending you all lots of yogic love...  These are crazy times! Everything is uncertain, there's so much more anxiety about the future, and some of us *ahem* are already feeling a little smothered + stir-crazy in our households with our families... So, I thought I should share a few recent illustrations [that I made for Instagram] in the hopes that they might bring a smile to your face:  Below: I posted this one a few weeks ago when school drop-off/leaving the house was still a thing, but the sentiment is still relevant, I think (perhaps even more so?)...  Also, for those of you who aren't on social media and have requested to see some recent pics of Teddy, here he is at 8 months old (last week):  Hang in there, everyone! We'll get through this together. So much love to you...       I've been doing a lot of "doodling" lately. It's become my creative outlet of choice because it's quicker and easier than painting, it's perfect for creating small, bite-sized nuggets for sharing on social media, and it allows me to hone my graphic design/logo design skills. Truth be told, it all started with this magical little tablet I got for drawing directly onto my computer screen and I became hooked... So I've started sharing images/little series like the above on Instagram and decided I should share them here, too, for those of you who still aren't on the 'gram (and so that my sketches live elsewhere on the internet). I think this series speaks for itself, but in case it doesn't I'll just say that I've been talking about writing Waiting on Men to Poop for many, many years now (I grew up with a dad and two brothers and have been living with Ben since 2009, so I know a thing or two about the subject...) but the other titles are somewhat newer. Now I just need something memoir-worthy to happen in my life and I'll be all set ;) And in other doodling news, here's an image I made and posted a few weeks ago that I think my fellow mom-readers will appreciate:  You get it, right!?!?!? I've got more of these fun little images up my sleeve and will be sure to post them here when they're done. In the meantime, you can follow me on Instagram to stay up-to-date ;)  2019 was a weird year for this blog. I blogged less often + less regularly than ever before and then basically just stopped blogging after having Teddy in mid-July (I've only put up 3 posts since then!). In fact, I've been thinking a lot about what I want to do with this space and at this point, I just don't see how I can return to blogging on any sort of regular schedule. So, I've decided that in 2020, I'll blog when I feel like I have something long-form and important to say, but otherwise, I'll continue to "micro-blog" and share my life primarily on Instagram. I've found that smaller posts on that platform make much more sense for my life and audience right now, so that's where I'm going to focus my energy *for the most part* moving forward... That being said, if you're not on Instagram, I urge you to either join (yay!) or subscribe to my newsletter, as I'll [once again] be sending out updates and info there on a more regular basis. But now lets turn our attention to a quick summary of/reflection on 2019. Here are a few snapshots of this past year in my life + business: 2019 Year-In-Numbers {Note: Where applicable, I've included my 2013 #'s to the right because I think the comparisons are fascinating--I had SO much more time before kids, haha!}
Most Popular Posts of 2019
And because I've done it every year, here are the big "themes of the year" since I started this blog in 2011... Blogging Themes By-the-Year
This was a good year. There were challenges, losses, and hard times, of course, but when I look back on it I will always remember 2019 as the year that Teddy joined our family; and for that reason alone, it's one of the most special years of my life. Thanks to all of you who have stuck with me over this past year of sporadic blogging (and a HUGE thank you to those who have been here since the beginning--2011, OMG!!!). Happy, happy New Year! Let's make 2020 the most mindful, joy-filled year yet.   Before having my second child 3.5 months ago, I knew that life with two kids would be bananas. But what I didn't yet know or understand was why it would be bananas. In a general sense, I understood that taking care of a baby and a toddler at the same time would be hard; there would be another person to keep happy and healthy and therefore, mothering would take more time + energy, which would leave less time + energy for everything else. But what I didn't understand was what this really meant. In practice, it means that there is absolutely NO time left for anything else--unless I am paying someone (or multiple people) to take care of my children. And during the days and times in which both children are home with me (which is a lot of the time right now), it means that I'm responding to one child's needs while also anticipating the other child's needs EVERY SINGLE SECOND OF THE DAY. Every. Single. Second. It means that when I sit down to nurse Teddy 7-8 times per day, Charlie Mae has either an "urgent" need that only I can fulfill or wants to drape her body over my opposite boob so that she can look into her brother's eyes while he eats [and distract him, which makes feeding way harder...but if I ask her to move I can expect tears and perhaps even a meltdown, which will upset Teddy and therefore make the feeding even harder + longer, so I just allow it]. It also means that every time I need to put Teddy down for a nap (approx. 4 times per day), Charlie Mae wants to come, too. So I have to do the entire routine with her on my heels, trying to keep her quiet and entertained in the darkened room until I rush her out while whispering "shhh" so that she doesn't startle her brother from his sleep-ready state. It means *finally* getting both kids to bed around 8pm and then having zero--literally ZERO--left to give to anyone else: Ben ("Ugh, don't touch me!"), myself, my work, my friends/family, my unanswered text messages and emails from the day. It means logistics at every turn: she wants to go to the playground and I am dying to get out of the house. But he needs a nap soon. And she'll need a snack packed and will need to go to the potty and get dressed before we leave, and by the time all of that realistically happens he'll be overtired and the nap will be harder or he'll be crying. So do we stay home and just put him down in his crib and try for an outing after the next nap, or risk it and hope he naps in the carrier at the playground? The mental calculations are exhausting. When I get it right, I feel like supermom. When I get it wrong, we're all in tears (or internal tears in my case, because mama needs to hold it together). But the other thing I didn't anticipate is how much harder my toddler would become in comparison to my infant. A baby alone? That now feels easy. A toddler alone? Doable. But a baby and a toddler together? The effort-expended is multiplied exponentially. Charlie Mae's toddler impatience and emotional swings get exacerbated by my unavailability and because it's "hard to share a mama," I feel pulled in a million directions while simultaneously failing both of my children at the exact same time. Also, Charlie Mae's lifelong preference for Mommy has become more intense than ever and her sleep isn't as steady as it used to be. Her picky eating habits have become stronger, as have her preferences, her boundary-pushing experiments, and her amazingly dramatic personality. She's a force to be reckoned with and also a force to be held and loved and comforted for many of my waking hours. But I still have a baby to care for and love on, too. See what I'm getting at? It's just a lot. And I know so many of you have been here before or will come after me so I know I am not alone in these sentiments, but they're new to me and I'm still learning to navigate them as they change on a daily basis. But you know what else two children means (and I know you knew this was coming)? All of the love, laughter, and pure joy multiplied exponentially, too. It's days peppered with moments so beautiful I could explode into one million pieces. It's belly-laughing until I'm crying at something Charlie Mae says and smiling at Teddy so much that my face hurts (this actually happens way more than you'd expect, haha). It's knowing there is nowhere more important than where I am right now in this moment. It's knowing that when it comes down to it, everything else truly can wait. It's everything we teach in yoga and then some--and to be honest, mothering is my yoga these days. So to sum things up and as many wise mothers before me have said in as many words, motherhood is all of the emotions all at once, all the time. Just multiply that by two, and that's where I'll be hanging out through the end of 2019. Onward, ho!  PS. I know I've been neglecting the blog since I had Teddy and I'm so sorry about that! However, I've been super regular + active on Instagram so if you want to see TONS of kid/baby/life pics, head on over there :)
 Thanks so much for all of your help picking my final apparel designs for this season's yoga-inspired tops! The winners/most-loved designs are above + below and are now available for pre-order {at a discounted rate} in my Etsy shop THROUGH next Wednesday, 10/16. After pre-orders close the prices will increase and you'll no longer be guaranteed to get the size you want, so be sure to order soon if you want one... Also, due to quite a few requests, I'm bringing back my "May All Beings Everywhere Be Happy and Free -Peace on Earth" design, but this time it will be printed on a heather teal tank. You can view that design below, as well.   Happy shopping and as always, thanks for your support! As you can see, I'm slowly easing back into work and regular life from maternity leave, so hope to pop-up back here on the blog sooner rather than later ;)  
 In case you missed it on social media, let me introduce you to the newest member of our family, Theodore "Teddy" Starr Vaneria (more pics at the bottom of this post)! He was born on Friday, July 12th at 3:17am, weighing 8 lbs 10.3 oz. and measuring 21" tall. We brought him home on Sunday, July 14th and are all [obviously] COMPLETELY in love with him--especially his big sister, who cannot stop hugging and kissing him every chance she gets. As promised--and because I love reading other people's birth stories--I wanted to share Teddy's birth story before I start to forget all of the important details. As a quick summary for those who don't want to read the novel that follows, I'll just say that this birth was the exact opposite of Charlie Mae's traumatic birth (which you can read about here). I left this birth experience feeling strong, empowered, and healed, for which I am so grateful. You can read all of the nitty gritty details below: On the week of Teddy's birth, starting on Monday night, I started having period-like cramps. In fact, the cramping that I felt on Monday night was intense enough that I started to wonder if it was the beginning of labor; when I went into labor with Charlie Mae it started as cramps just like these, so I thought the same thing might be happening again with Teddy. But as the week wore on, the cramps continued with no sign of real labor, so I stopped reading into them. Then on Thursday, July 11th, Charlie Mae and I were out on our usual morning walk when I started to feel the cramps more intensely. We got home from our walk and went to the grocery store. As we walked around Whole Foods, I found myself slowing down and holding my belly with each cramp, and thought that perhaps I should start timing them when I got home, just to see if they were somewhat regular. When we got home around 11:30am, I used the app on my phone to time the cramps and sure enough, they were somewhat regular, each between about 5-10 mins apart. I kept paying attention to them throughout the next few hours and when Ben got home around 1:30, I told him that I might be in the beginning stages of labor. At these words he got bug-eyed and crazy looking (haha!), and I told him not to freak out (LOL) but to start preparing as if I was going to go into labor that night, just in case. Over the next few hours as Charlie Mae napped, we slowly packed up, cleared the beach stuff out of the trunk of my car, called Ben's mom to ask her to come sleep over, and prepared ourselves for a nighttime labor, just in case. The contractions continued to intensify and become more and more regular slowly throughout the day, and around 5pm we went for a family walk during which I started to feel them even more and had to start walking much slower than usual. We had dinner as a family (I ate a big meal in case it would be my last for a while), I put Charlie Mae to bed--bending over her crib to have a few intense contractions while I did so--and then Ben and I came to the conclusion that this was the real deal, so we should try and go to bed early in an attempt to get some rest before things got serious. I called my midwives and alerted my doula that I was in the beginning stages of labor and would probably be coming in sometime in the next 12-ish hours, and then we climbed into bed. But silly me! To think I could sleep through these contractions! By 9pm they were intense enough that with each contraction I had to jump out of bed, lean over the bed, move my hips, and moan. I was having back labor again (which happened during my entire labor with Charlie Mae) and the contractions were STRONG. I eventually moved into the nursery so Ben could sleep and labored on my own, each contraction more and more sensational than the last (and stronger than I thought they should be at this time). Around midnight I called the midwife again and asked her what she thought I should do about coming in. I was set on laboring at home as long as possible, but also had a 25-min drive to the hospital so was worried about having these intense contractions in the car and about making it in time. I should also pause to mention that I was positive for Group B Strep this time around. For those who don't know, GBS is a bacteria that can live in the vagina of 25% of healthy women and doesn't affect the woman, but can be transmitted to the baby during labor and if it is transmitted, can be dangerous. It's really not an issue if the mom gets intravenous antibiotics every 4 hours during labor, but it is important to get these antibiotics to protect your baby, so that made it important that I get to the hospital in time to get those antibiotics in me before I had the babe. SO...when I called my midwife and she could hear how intense things had gotten, she told me I should come in--especially because I needed to get the antibiotics. I woke Ben up, said let's hit the road, and we did. <OH MAN THAT DRIVE TO THE HOSPITAL!!!!> On the 25-minute drive, I had about 6 or 7 contractions. Taking them sitting down was miserable; we had all of the windows down and I was just throwing back my head and moaning like a wild animal. In fact, if there's one theme to Teddy's labor and birth, it's that I turned into the most raw, primal, animalistic version of a person that could ever exist--I was only tapped into the sensations in my body and didn't care AT ALL about anything else happening around me. We got to the hospital around 12:45 or 1am, walked to the maternity unit (I was offered a wheelchair but DID NOT want to sit again), and were immediately escorted into the tub room, which is the room I had requested when we called. My midwife came in and checked me and said I was at 5 or 6 cm dilated, so she was glad I came in. They hooked me up to a fetal monitoring device in order to get a "20 minute strip" on the baby's activity and started getting me set up for IV antibiotics while I continued to labor leaning over the bed. The next little while was spent trying my best to get through my crazy contractions while they did the intake basics and got what they needed from me. All I wanted to do was get in the tub and get some relief, but they had to fill it (which takes FOREVER) and get the stats on the babe in my belly, which was hard because I kept moving to get through the contractions, which would knock the monitor out of place, which would then lead to the nurse having to move it again to get a read and thus, made it take a lot longer. As I labored on the bed (now on hands and knees) waiting for the tub to fill and the fetal monitoring to be over, my water broke and things started to get even more intense. A little after this I was checked again and pronounced to be around 9cm (so those last 3-4 cm happened in just an hour or so), but I was not fully effaced yet (there was just one tiny part of my cervix left) so I was told we had a little more to go before I could start to push. This same thing happened when I was in labor with Charlie Mae and I was told to push too early, which is thought to be one of the main reasons that things started to go in the wrong direction, so I was very nervous about pushing too early again and took their advice. At some point around this same time the tub was finally ready and I was allowed to get in, which was a GAME-CHANGER. Getting in the tub gave me the tiny bit of relief that I needed in order to get through the last 30 minutes or so of contractions before I had to get out and push. While I was in the tub I had my "bloody show" (ugh I hate that term!) and everyone told me not to worry, that this meant things were about to happen. Right after this, I started getting the urge to push with each contraction. I had just been checked and had been told that I wasn't totally effaced yet, so everyone told me to hold off on pushing. This was SO crazy hard because I felt like I no longer had any control over my body, but I didn't actively push any harder than my body was doing on it's own with each contraction. My time spent laboring in the tub was marked by loud noises (I kept having to be reminded to keep them low and deep, and tried to do this by saying "opppeeeennn" in a low, loud voice, encouraging my body to open), but the sensations were so intense that this was very hard. While I was in the tub my amazing doula arrived (things had gone so fast that although she left home as soon as we got to the hospital, she didn't get there until the very end of my labor) and she started helping me with the back labor by taking over for Ben, who was applying counter-pressure on my back with each contraction and saying very encouraging things to me. Her presence had an immediate calming effect and definitely made me feel even more confident in my ability to get through this. As my urges to push got stronger and stronger and I started yelling "I'm pushing!" with each contraction, they told me to get out of the tub so I could be checked once more and so that I could push if it was time (we had decided before labor that I would push on either hands and knees or on my side so that my risk of tearing would be lower, considering I had an episiotomy and 4th degree tear when I had Charlie Mae). Thus, I got out of the tub (INTENSE!), got up onto the bed (INTENSE!), and my midwife checked me again (INTENSE!). The good news? I was ready to push! The bad news? Teddy's heart rate was dropping with each contraction so they wanted me to try and push him out quickly. And that's just what we did! I got on my side holding a leg up and my birth team guided me through how to push with each contraction. They were extremely encouraging and somehow--although it felt impossible at the time--I pushed him out in about 5-7 pushes (not sure exactly how many). At one point they even had me reach down and feel his head, which was both encouraging ("he's coming!") and discouraging ("he's nowhere near out yet!)". When Teddy came into the world, I felt an immediate flood of relief. Physically, it was a high like no other because the pain was finally gone. They put him on my belly--his cord was short so he didn't reach all the way up onto my chest--and then for a few seconds, things got scary: he was floppy and purple and wasn't crying. I started screaming "Why isn't he crying?" and the nurses quickly cut the cord and whisked him across the room. They sucked some fluid out of his nose and mouth and gave him some pats and he started crying and all was well, but in those 5-10 seconds when he wasn't moving or making any noises, I was completely panicked. Ben had to leave and go into the bathroom because he thought he was going to faint. But as soon as Teddy was aware and crying, they brought him back over to me and laid him on my chest. Once I knew he was okay, I felt complete. We were later told that because I had pushed him out so quickly, he may have just been stunned (or his lungs might not have been compressed for as long as usual) and just needed second to get acclimated to the world outside. But whatever the case, that one scary moment did not cloud the experience as a whole because otherwise, it was all pretty incredible. Once Teddy was on my chest and we started introducing him to breastfeeding for the first time, I was able to push out the placenta and was then given a bit of pitocin to help with the bleeding. I was then stitched up (I had a 2nd degree tear--WAY better than last time!) and we were done except for the excruciating contractions that came with breastfeeding and the uterus massages that I was given every once in a while to help my uterus return to it's normal size. Within an hour, everyone was gone, the lights were low, my birth playlist was still playing softly, Ben was asleep in a rocking chair next to my bed, and Teddy was nursing on my chest. It was just me and my doula, Lindsay, who hung around for a little longer and then left so we could rest and have some time as a family. Of course I couldn't sleep until way later in the day because I was so hyped up on adrenaline and oxytocin and pure LOVE. For the next few days as we recovered, I just couldn't believe what had happened: how quickly Teddy came into the world, how raw + unfiltered the experience was, how strong I felt after doing what I had hoped to do. It was the hardest thing I'd ever done and yet I had done it and now I had a beautiful baby in my arms. It felt like a miracle (and still does, 10 days later). So there you go. I think I'll close this novel here and talk more about the postpartum experience (thus far) in a future post, but I just want to say thank you AGAIN to all of you who encouraged me to try for the birth I wanted this second time around. It was so helpful to hear all of your positive second birth experiences and recommendations on resources, tools, etc. I am so thankful for your support and so thankful for this experience. Here are a few more pics of Teddy/the fam for those who missed them on Instagram!
 ...And now back to maternity leave!   Well, here we are: my last day of daycare this week and thus, my last full "work day" before our new baby comes. Sure, technically he could come a week or so after my due date, which would mean I'd have a few more daycare days before he arrives, but I'm pretty much closing things down this week so I'm calling today my last real work day (plus I taught my last yoga class on Saturday!). As my due date draws nearer, I've been getting lots of questions about preparing for birth this time around: how I feel going into it again, what I'm doing differently to try and avoid the traumatic experience that I had last time, etc., so I thought that for my final post before baby (which is what I've decided this is...), I'd share my hopes + dreams for this labor--obviously something I have ABSOLUTELY no control over, which I'm even more aware of now... Just like when I was preparing for Charlie Mae's birth, I hope to have an unmedicated birth experience this time; I want to be able to feel and remember everything that happens in my body, both good and bad. So in order to set myself up for this experience as much as possible, I (or we) hired an amazing doula (shout-out Lindsay!). I am confident that having her with us during labor will make us much more comfortable throughout the entire experience, no matter what happens. And I'm hopeful that all of the tools she has in her toolbox will allow for more mid-labor troubleshooting that could help us avoid what happened last time around. I also really want to labor in the water. I spent 3/4 of my 36-ish hour labor with Charlie Mae in the shower, as it was one of the only things that provided me any sort of relief from my back labor, so I've changed hospitals to a hospital that, while further away, has a birthing tub. My hope is to labor in this tub as long as possible and then get out only to push. While I would LOVE to have a water birth, I've been advised that this might not be best for me since I had an episiotomy last time (considered a 4th degree tear and makes me more susceptible to tearing again). Another aspect of changing hospitals is that it feels like a clean slate and a fresh start. Although I don't blame anyone or anything about the hospital where I had Charlie Mae for how traumatic her birth was, it was traumatic for me nonetheless, and I think going back there might be a little triggering. Going somewhere that looks different and has a completely different staff feels like a chance for a re-do, which is mentally something I needed to feel before jumping back into this big physical journey. I've also been listening to only positive birth stories similar to the birth I would like (on The Birth Hour) to help with my confidence and get me back into the birthing mindset. I've been doing my Spinning Babies exercises multiple times per day to get my currently-posterior [AGAIN] baby to turn around inside the womb. I've got my hospital bag mostly packed and my checklists read to go. I'm starting to feel ready! At this point, I'm getting really excited about meeting our little guy and once again, trusting that my body can do this--especially now that I've done it before, birth trauma or not. Positive thinking is what I've got to hold onto now and I'm holding on with all my might. Thank you SO much for all of your love + encouragement throughout this pregnancy (and as I mourned the loss before it). I can't wait to share our new baby with you once he's here!!! Stay tuned on social media for updates and I promise to share here on the blog ASAP after he's born :)   Just wanted to wish you a very happy Independence Day and let you know that no, I haven't had the baby yet, but will be taking tomorrow off from #SJOTW to soak up these last few days (hopefully not weeks!?) as a family of 3 and mother to just 1 ;) Have an amazing long weekend and I'll see you back here next week (unless we undergo a big life change before then!).   As usual, we've been hard at work over at Starr Struck Design Studio pumping out client projects and trying to wrap-up some of the longer-term projects before I head out on maternity leave! Thus, before I pop-out and these recently-completed logo + website designs become old news, here's a quick rundown of a few of the things we've been working on recently... Project #1: Centered Pilates + Yoga Logo and Website Design Centered is a brand new boutique pilates + yoga studio here on the Cape, located in Orleans. The owner, April Smith Tesson, is a teacher who I've known and worked with since moving here back in 2013 (I've done quite a bit of design work for her in the past, too!), so I was honored when she reached out about creating her new logo and website. I LOVE her aesthetic and attention to detail and am very happy with what we came up with together. You can view her logo above (obviously) and her website below (click on the image to visit the real thing). And if you're local, go check her out!  Project #2: Heart Centered Living Logo(s) Another long-time client (who is also a serial entrepreneur), Sarah Dickey, had us create two logos (primary and secondary) for her newest business endeavor, Heart Centered Living, under which she offers hypnotherapy, spiritual work, and yoga teaching. You may remember Sarah from a recent post I did about some of the work I've done for her other company, Cool Creative Press--she's fabulous!   Project #3 (lots of projects all-in-one!): Apparel Illustration/Design for Cool Creative Press Speaking of Cool Creative Press, here are some more illustrations I've done for her recently (some of the others that I've done in the past can be found here). These illustrations are all based on quotes from her books and she uses them on shirts, as prints, on tote bags, etc. Project #3: Provisions Logo I'm not going to say much about Provisions because they haven't launched yet and I want to let them be the ones to make the announcement about their amazing business when they do, but suffice it to say that I loved working on this logo with the Provisions team (we went through so many iterations before landing on this one) and I'm really happy with what we came up with. The primary logo is below, as well as a secondary logo that includes a subtitle, and the "forks" design elements I created for them.  
Project #4: Maaa's Monogram Boutique Logo and Website The talented mompreneur + founder of Maaa's, Heather, reached out to me a few months ago about wanting to get her new monogram business up-and-running quickly, and as soon as she was ready, we made it happen! We created Heather's logo and website in a matter of weeks and I'm very proud of the final products that we pulled together. Her logo is below and you can hop on over to her new website to shop all of the amazing clothing she has available to personalize (available monogrammed or not, if monograms aren't your thing).   A huge thank you to all of these amazing clients for trusting us with your design needs AND to all of our other clients who aren't featured in this post but who we've been working closely with on projects over the past few months. We love you all and I'll definitely miss working for you while I'm out on maternity leave! Also, gratitude x 1000000 to my right-hand woman, Sara, who will be keeping our little biz running while I'm out having a baby ;) Interested in working with us? Learn more about our services here and/or reach out with questions.   Happy last few days in June! I hope this month treated you well and you're as excited as I am to welcome July (my due month!). I've got lots to do today so let's jump right into SJOTW; here's what brought me joy over the past 7 days...what made you smile? HEAR: Taylor Swift's greatest hits [played during dance parties with Charlie Mae, who is T. Swift's newest fan] Charlie Mae recently discovered "Shake It Off" at day care, and ever since she's become a total Swifty (is that what they call them nowadays? No clue). And even though I've gotten a bit sick of "Shake It Off" at this point (we often listen to it on repeat for at least 20 mins straight), I do think it's hilarious hearing her sing the lyrics and I've loved introducing her to some of my other T. Swift faves during our epic dance parties. SEE: A Star is Born I've wanted to see this movie ever since it first came out/was in theaters, but life conspired against me and that never happened. After it left theaters, I would sporadically check online to see when it would come to one of the streaming services and it was always months away...until it finally hit HBO this month and I *finally* got a chance to watch it last weekend! It was so heartbreaking but it was a really amazing movie with incredible music, just as I'd expected. TASTE: Date night dinner at Sesuit Harbor Cafe Ben and I had a lovely date night last weekend! Thinking it might be our last before this babe comes, we did it up and went to our favorite outdoor dinner spot and then got ice cream--all early enough to make it home to put Charlie Mae to bed ourselves (as she prefers, haha). It was so fun and delicious! A HUGE thanks to Ben's Aunt Nancy for staying with our girlie while we went out. SMELL: Summer toddler If you have a toddler, you probably know this smell. It's a mixture of sunscreen, fruit, sweat, and your child's amazing natural scent. I love it when Charlie Mae smells like this because it means she's been living her best summery, outdoors-based life. And when Ben got home from work the other day and kissed her and said, "I love that smell," I knew exactly what he was talking about ;) TOUCH: The ocean/saltwater We had the PERFECT beach day last Sunday and as usual, it made me feel incredibly grateful to live so close to the beach and in such a beautiful place. Also, for the first time this season, the water felt amazing! I didn't go all the way in (still too chilly for that) but it was super refreshing on my feet and legs. And that's it for me this week! I hope you can find some time to reflect on your simple joys today, too. Also, not sure how many #SJOTW I have left in me before this babe arrives, but I'm thinking it will just be another 1-2...can you believe it!?!? Have a great last weekend in June and I'll see ya back here in July!  
Well, here we are: my last Audio Yoga Class before I head out on maternity leave. But while I won't be releasing any new audio classes for the next 3-4 months, there are 23 different classes in my "feed" at this point so I think that should be more than enough to keep you occupied ;)
Here are the details about this month's class... Class Description: In this 1-hour audio yoga class we focus on awakening and energizing the body by opening the spine, heart center, quadriceps, and shoulders. This class is not for beginners; experienced practitioners only. 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! ;) Thanks for practicing with me! 
 Happy first official day of summer/summer solstice! Can you believe it's already here? And as usual, this week FLEW by! So let's slow it down and reflect on the past 7 days, shall we? Here are some of my favorite simple, sensory joys from the past week... HEAR: Charlie Mae's made-up songs Is there anything better than listening to a toddler sing made-up songs loudly? Especially when they narrate what's happening at the moment while singing (ie. "I'm going to the grocery store with my mommy and my daddy and we're in the car and I'm buckled in my carseat...")? It's the CUTEST and I'll never stop being tickled by it. Gosh these toddler days are adorable (and so, so, so tough, too). SEE: Always Be My Maybe {Netflix Original RomCom} It's been a loooooonnnggg time since I've watched a RomCom; I don't watch much TV these days and when I do it's usually a show with Ben (and he's not a huge RomCom guy). But last weekend when he was coaching basketball until rather late, I decided to watch this movie that I'd been hearing about and it did not disappoint. It was a classic RomCom in the best of ways and I really enjoyed it! I need to get back to my RomCom roots STAT. I miss them! TASTE: Homemade Brownies We had a Father's Day get-together with Ben's extended family last weekend and one of his aunts made some *delicious* homemade brownies. I hadn't had brownies in a long time and they were melt-in-your-mouth incredible. Charlie Mae, who had never had a brownie before, agreed (lol). SMELL: Ouidad VitalCurl Define & Shine Styling Gel-Cream I've been using this gel to style my hair in the summers (scrunch + air-dry) for quite a few years now, but this week was the first time that I'd used it in 2019 and I'd forgotten how good it smelled. I'd also forgotten how great it is to let your hair air-dry into wavy curls on a hot day! It's so much easier (and cooler). TOUCH: Afternoon catnaps I've reached the point in my pregnancy where I'm always pretty tired and if I were to lie down--no matter the time of the day--I could fall asleep. So, for the past week or two on the days when Charlie Mae is home from daycare and I put her down for her nap, I've gotten SO tired that I've had no choice but to take a quick snooze (15-30 mins) on the couch before tackling my usual nap time to-do list. I'm normally not a great napper but I am right now and these quick naps have been life-savers. ...That's it for me this week! I hope you can find the time to reflect on your simple, sensory joys of the week today, too. Have a lovely weekend!   As of today, my due date is just 25 days away. With this in mind, I figured it was about time to fill you all in {current clients + students, potential clients, blog readers, audio class takers, etc.} on what's going to be happening in Starr Struck-land while I'm out on maternity leave. If it isn't obvious, I should mention that when you work for yourself, you don't get paid leave of any kind. When I stop working for any period of time, I stop making money. That's just the way it is. But luckily, I have a husband who gets amazing paid paternity leave (he's taking 12 weeks off!) and we've known that this time of no income was ahead of us (clearly), so we were able to save so that I can take this time off without us being super stressed about finances the whole time. But of course it's weird to step away when you run your own business (or when you are the business). It's hard for me to hand off client projects, to get subs for my classes, to stop consulting, blogging, and teaching workshops on the regular. It's necessary and it's what I want to do to be totally present with my family, but it's really hard. Also, I learned some valuable lessons last time around, so I'm applying them to my plan for leave with this babe: last time I went back too early {because Charlie Mae was such a good sleeper from 6-10 weeks...HAHAHAHHAHAHA}, I tried to take on too much too quickly when I did go back, and I didn't have the right child care situation figured out (but of course I didn't know that until it was too late and I was completely overwhelmed). So, this time I'm giving myself 12 full weeks off of almost everything. I'll be handling emails twice per week (on Mondays and Thursdays) and dealing with any urgent needs as applicable. But otherwise, were's what my maternity leave will look like in the various branches of my business:
And that's about it for now! I obviously have no idea when I'll go into labor so I'll keep blogging until I do, but if you see me go quiet here and on Instagram (my main social media community these days), just stay tuned and hopefully I'll be sharing a happy, healthy baby update ASAP ;) Thanks for your understanding as I take some time away from my business to be with my family! And fellow solopreneurs: I hope this shows you that while it is a bit more complicated and takes more planning, it is doable to go on maternity leave when you work for yourself.  |
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} 
|
DISCLOSURE
This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. From time to time, I accept compensation for sponsored posts and campaigns. However, any sponsored content will be clearly identified as paid or sponsored. Even though I receive compensation for sponsored posts, I always give my honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely my own.
I am also a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
I am also a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.