Watch for old patterns.
Consistent effort is the path to transformation.
See you tomorrow! — David Robson, email, July 10, 2011

I don’t think I’ve said enough about my yoga teacher David Robson lately. *Cough.*

The thing is in the midst of all the crazy stuff I’ve had going on lately, he’s actually managing to help me get grounded (which is really hard to do for me whose feet are perpetually, though extremely wide, hovering floaty above the ground, laaaaa). Well, so far. I DID show up to yoga this morning.

At first he didn’t say too much when I stopped showing up to daily early-morning Mysore practice — except that if I had to let anything go in my life, it shouldn’t be my yoga practice. “You’ve worked so hard,” he said. I didn’t know how badly I needed to hear that. See? Brillers teacher.

After he said that to me, I went back a few times, and then I stopped showing up again. So I emailed David at the shala . I wanted to let him know that my intention to practice was still there and that I just had a lot going on. I guess he realized that what I was really doing was asking for an extra push from him, and that’s when he emailed me that little GEM quoted above.

“Watch for old patterns.” Hmm…, let’s see….

Old pattern #1: Not only have I not been waking up early to go to yoga, but I’ve also been going to bed late. Really LATE.

Old pattern #2: I’ve been starting my days not with yoga but with Starbucks soy no-water tazo chai. Grrrrr…..

Actually, I start every day with a heavy, blond, very round head on my lower back, and a white, fluffy, furry head on my feet. PINNED. And then my CAT couldn’t be more excited when I finally do wake up. It’s like Dino and Fred Flinstone. Wiiiiiiiiiilmaaaaaaaa!

Old pattern #3: I’ve been eating and drinking NOTHING after my chai — until the evening…. Eeeeeek, I know! And apparently I have hypoglycemia, to make matters even awesomer.

Old pattern #4: I’m a nervous stress case.

Old pattern #5: I stopped cooking for myself. Good thing it’sgrandma makes a mean salad at the cottage….

Old pattern #6: Let’s just say my house has seen tidier days….

So I don’t know what happened. Or, well I have a theory: school ended for the kids; they started camp; I took on a few too many assignments at work; I went to New York, ran around a lot…; and then I slipped — like Cinderella did, but all the way down the stairs, only not as graceful, and like I said, wide feet, phoom phoom phoom. I slipped off the wagon (many wagons) and just stopped taking care of myself. Yoga wasn’t the first to go. But, as David wisely, and possibly psychically, pointed out in that email, my skipping yoga was a signal that I was falling back into old patterns.

Addiction. Comfortable there.

It was a good thing he sent me that email. The timing was impeccable. Because it was that same day that I actually convinced myself I was going to DIE from the chai I chugged that morning. My anxiety was at a record high….

So I’m just about to do my “drop backs” this morning. David takes his usual place in front of me, looks me in the eye so there’s no looking away, even though (for me) it’s obscenely early in the morning to be socializing in any capacity, and reminds me that I “need a practice.” Because it’s the one thing that will keep me grounded and going, that will “push me through” all the changes so I don’t get lost in them and all overwhelmed.

Like an empty water bottle lost at sea, toxic and carried by endless waves of change.

Today I didn’t have a chai latte. This might explain any incoherence, rambling, typos or bizarre, out-of-nowhere metaphors in this blog post. Instead I made a simple green smoothie. And, as my team (nay, family) at Today’s Parent reminded me to do, I brought my lunch to work — some simple miso brown rice and vegetables and hummus. I’m building new patterns.

I’ll never forget what my teacher Monica Voss said years ago when we were discussing a yoga pose: sometimes you have to “collapse the structure so we can gradually rebuild.”  And it looks like that’s what happening here.

So, huge thanks to David Robson for nudging me so perfectly to rebuild. As he himself said, “It won’t be the last time.” Ha! But at least I know I have him and my friends at the shala to catch me when I slip or, better yet, to pick this toxic water bottle out of the ocean and plant some flowers in her. Yikes?

So, Gorgeouses, what are some old patterns you slip into when life gets overwhelming? And do you have some kind of “practice” or hobby to keep you steady and grounded?

Love!
xo Haley-O

How DOES she do it?

I love them. And I fed them for her sake — because I can’t imagine what it’s like to have nine children. And, of course, they kept coming back for more. In the end they were swimming with us, side by side. Quack quack quack. Until Betty White jumped in. She didn’t bother them or anything, but the mere presence of such a SCARY BEAST was evidently enough to send the ducklings and their mama quacking away for a few hours at least….

Ooooooo…. Scary beast. RAWR!

Or maybe it was my Justin Bieber towel that scared them away….

If you can help it, try not to comment about how dirty and disease infested ducks are. I’ve been fighting some serious sun anxiety/OCD lately. I spent an entire paycheck buying every mineral sunscreen I could find in the store, and that doesn’t seem to be enough for my (and my sister’s) fair beauties in the heat of the cottage sun….

Cousins…. They did wear T-shirts most of the day…AND their beloved life jackets.

Brothers….

Obvious: I love the cottage. I feel like a kid again when I’m there, only better. When I was a kid, I was terrified of the lake, hated the outdoors and ran the other way when anyone yelled “WATER SPORTS WOOHOOOHOOHOOO!” Now, here I am jumping in the middle of the lake to rescue a lost hat, kayaking….

WAKEBOARDING…!

I got up on the wakeboard, and I made it around the lake, bouncing off choppy waves and whipping side to side. Totally awesome, dude…. And I went crazy water tubing. Here’s Josh-O hating every minute of our saggy water tube….

I love it. I love the cottage. The nature, the play, the togetherness. and I hate to leave every time….

So thanks for the emails, Gorgeouses. I know I’ve been MIA here lately. It’s okay. I haven’t even been to yoga much lately either. And I’m kind of disappointed in my apparent laziness. But I am long overdue for this thing called “play,” which I’m surprisingly rediscovering at the cottage.

I think my last yoga practice taught me something about this just the other day. I was really struggling through the poses — probably because I’d eaten too much the night before — and just spontaneously decided to stop working so hard. I let my muscles go a little flaccid, rested a little between poses, relaxed inside the poses (all of this a no-no in Ashtanga yoga), breathed a little more freely. And it suddenly occurred to me that I do EVERYTHING TOO HARD. My “flaccid” yoga was for sure someone else’s 100%. I consistently work too hard in every single aspect of my life. I put too much pressure on myself to go all the way and do everything perfectly. Eureka! Maybe things would flow better for me in general if I just let go a little…. Ride the wave….

Parenting, writing, working, parenting, cooking, yoga, dieting, parenting, running, running, running like Lola.

It felt good to let go in yoga, and it feels good to let go a little in life. To play without guilt or holding back or fear. Without fear without fear, for two seconds without fear. I got up and around the lake on a wakeboard for the first time in my life. You missed it all, Fear.

Now I just have to find that healthy balance between work and play, push and pull, order and chaos, freedom and control, yin and yang.

My arms still feel slightly torn out of their sockets from wakeboarding, but I should make it to yoga tomorrow (and I will work hard). It’s pretty crucial. I have the greatest, most inspiring teacher out there, who, like wakeboarding, reminds me that I can do anything.

Ahh, life.

Love!
xo Haley-O

The husband was away. I wrote two articles this week. Nine or so celebrity blog posts. Interviewed another celebrity last week. Went to another event today. Haven’t been to yoga. Haven’t been eating well. Haven’t been going to bed at reasonable hours. The Rascal graduated from preschool twice. The Monkey graduated from morning school, had a dance recital, a theatre performance, a park party, school cookout and has another graduation Friday. I apply a bottle of sunscreen a week to myself and my squirmy children. We’ve lost two hats and three pairs of shoes.

So I’m not going to write anything today. Today we’ll just chat. Grab some ice water. I hear it’s not very good for your kidneys to drink ice water, or your digestion, but it’s hot in here. So go grab a glass. Maybe squeeze some lemon in it — I need to cleanse. And I’ll share some pics from the last while. Because, as far as writing is concerned? I don’t have a word left in me. That, and I’m seeing doubles trying to keep up with my personal email, work email, my Twitter, Twitter, Facebook, Facebook, blackberry, macbook, work computer and now the new PlayBook that Best Buy kindly gave me because, among other things, I really needed another gadget to check things on, and the Rascal really needs another thing to YEARN and throw window-breaking-loud tantrums about.

What’s the deal with boys and games, anyway? He’s been begging for an “iPot” since he was two. Poor guy NEVER gets to play because I’d rather see him do low-tech things, like colouring or kicking a ball. But, yes, he does enjoy the “finger slide,” whenever he gets the chance, every now and then. But he does think my new PlayBook is for him.

Anyway, how’s that ice water. Mine’s great. Gulp gulp. So here are some pics from some of the last week or so since I’ve blogged, you know, since I’m flat out of words. So, Gorgeouses, checkit….

Rascal, the reality TV star!

For the full scoop on the Rascal, Tori Spelling, the kids and my interview with Dean McDermott (and, come on, Dean haters, everyone makes mistakes — he was LOVELY), go to Celebrity Candy. Grab some vegan candy, enjoy the story, and I’ll wait right here….

What’d you think of those pics! My hair. I know. It was WINDY. I have since rediscovered my hairbrush. The barrage of complements I got on my freshly brushed hair today have incentivized me (I know that’s not a word) to use a brush more regularly.

Get your minds out of the gutter, Gorgeouses, IT’S A FISHING ROD WITH A FISH ON IT. The Rascal asked me to hold it while he enjoyed his organic lollipop.

FISHING ROD!

Look out for our Rascal (and me!?) on the next season of Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood. Ha!

The cottage.

I’m going to go get more ice water. While I’m gone, check out these pics from the cottage last weekend. I feel really lucky that my parents let us use the place like it’s our own…. We don’t hold back….

Bygones…!

Tomorrow I’m meeting with Warren Kramer for a private macrobiotics counseling session. I’ve fallen off too many wagons lately, and I’m feeling it! My friend Alice would say I’m too yang. Way too yang. My yoga teacher David would say, “Don’t let the vrittis win.” They won. I can’t bring myself to go back to yoga now that Josh is back in town…. I’m just exhausted. So I’m hoping Warren will give me a nice, cushy, energizing, happifying wagon to stay on long term. We’ll see.

Love!

xo Haley-O

Photos of Tori, Dean and the kids: Haley Overland/TODAYSPARENT.COM

There we are. Jennifer Garner and me! You can read my interview and all about my Jennifer Garner experience HERE! It was a whirlwind. I haven’t had a trip like that in a long time, or maybe, like, ever? Crazy!

I left for NYC at 4:30am on Thursday morning. I got on the plane at 6:30am, but my co-traveler Emma Waverman got detained in customs and missed our flight…! It didn’t get much better for poor Emma. When she got to NYC, her car broke down on her way to meet the rest of us. She’s the one in the pretty sundress beside me….

Oh, wait! EVERYONE’s wearing a sundress but me (and tall Jennifer, who got fancy on us!). Apparently, someone didn’t get the sundress memo. But I did get the “wear heels” memo from a little voice in my head — thank goodness…! I went with black wedges and polished toenails, and I brought an extra pair of quite hideous sneakers for the rest of the day.

Anyway, I loved meeting Jennifer. She’s stunning and nice and very passionate about the charity Save the Children, which we were there to promote with my new favourite appliance company Frigidaire.

Little did I know, though, the trip was just beginning. After the event, Emma, Denise Smith from Savvymom.ca (in the grey dress on the end) and I hit the town thinking we should make the most of the few hours we had left in New York. Little did we know….

We went to Soho and walked forever in the sweltering heat to visit the famous vegan cupcake place, Baby Cakes. Shockingly, it was foodie Emma’s idea. She owed me one for trying to convince me not to be vegan that one time….

I cropped out our arms because we were both having “bad arm days” in our photos….

Such good sports they are to walk that far for vegan cupcakes! The cupcakes were pretty good. But I couldn’t really tell because I had some sort of weird laryngitis symptom that made EVERYTHING I ate taste sour for a good couple of days….

After the bakery, we went shopping. And startlingly, I was the only one who bought anything — a gorj boho-chic necklace from Free People. I don’t have a photo of it yet….

While in Soho, I took my first photo with a sleeping man (and, ooo!, there’s my necklace)!

Emma made me do it…. Hideous sneakers.

After that, we met our friends Irene Ngo from Chatelaine Magazine (in the blue dress, above), Rachelle Stark, David Riabov, and Stephanie (beside Jennifer Garner, above) and Norm from Frigidaire. We were supposed to go for dinner. But the traffic held us back, so we had to go straight to the airport. Parched, hungry and exhausted.

As we drove, the sky got DARK. People were walking the NYC streets covering their faces, the wind was so bad.

Our flight was scheduled for 8:30pm, but the weather kept getting worse, and there was no flight in sight. Eventually, we got out of there still parched and hungry (nothing was open!) and rebooked our flights for the earliest flight home the next day — 2:30pm (3:30pm for Emma, of course…).

We had no change of clothes, no makeup (gah!), toothbrushes, NOTHING. But we had each other. And we had Nobu, and we had 1am shopping at Forever 21 for fresh clothes to wear, and we had a hotel in Times Square, for the win!

Emma and I shared a hotel room, and Irene and Rachelle (above) shared another. I’m a VERY private person, and Emma and I didn’t even have a WALL on our washroom. It was more like a WINDOW WALL. But I didn’t care. Emma is a hoot. They all were. We giggled the whole trip. And I needed it….

I spent the next morning with foodies Irene and Emma. Of course, we checked out Chef Mario Batali’s Eataly. Some of us were in HEA-VEN….

Emma — she had no pants to wear! And Irene’s still wearing her blue dress from the day before…. Look! Mushrooms!

We did so much walking in our new Forever 21 clothes (I NEVER wear stripes! and Emma did finally find some pants to wear) that…

…(yeah you saw that right….) I had to get a Starbucks….

BUSTED…! Oooh! And there’s my new necklace again! Like it?

After that, we went to the airport, checked in. And, of course, Emma’s flight got delayed. We all waved goodbye to poor Emma and off we went. She left 3 hours later.

Okay, this was a lot of work, Gorgeouses! So in return for my sharing the intimate details of my fabulous trip to NYC, can you please do me one favour? Go and commit to “eat fresh.” For every person who commits to eat fresh (it’s quick!), Frigidaire will donate $1 to Save the Children Canada. Plus you get a chance to win an awesome fridge. For more about this cause and to read my Today’s Parent interview with Jennifer Garner, CHECKIT!

Stay tuned. I interview Dean McDermott, whom many of you know as Tori Spelling’s hubby, Thursday. I’m bringing the Rascal with me…. Gaaahhh!

Love!
xo Haley-O

Gorgeouses! As many of you now know from Twitter, Facebook, my Today’s Parent blog Celebrity Candy, the schoolyard, my new detox group (more on that later), yoga, let’s see, the grocery store, Shopper’s Drug Mart, etc., etc., I’m off to NYC to meet my all-time favourite celebrity mom, JENNIFER GARNER!

Seriously, if anyone asked me who my favourite celebrity mom was, it would 100% be Jennifer Garner. Not only is she a FELICITY alum and star of 13 Going on 30 (among other things, like wife of my friend Lisa’s pretend celebrity boyfriend Ben Affleck), but she’s just awesome with her kids. I mean, checkit!, checkit! and (oy!) checkit!

I leave for NYC at 4:30am tomorrow (Thursday) morning. I’ll be whisked off to New York City and then, apparently, off to a farm to meet Jennifer, pick produce and learn to cook and preserve it. All of my favourite things!

At some point during lunch, I get to sit down with Jennifer and interview her one-on-one…. It’ll be a very brief interview, but…wow.

The whole event is for the amazing charity Save the Children, which does a truly incredible job saving children’s lives in Canada and abroad — in partnership with Frigidaire. I’m really looking forward to immersing myself in this cause.

Of course, I had a brutal time figuring out what to wear to this event. I took the Rascal with me to Yorkdale Shopping Mall yesterday thinking — obviously delusional — that I could get some shopping done. And it was next to impossible because, let’s just say, the Rascal lives up to his name. Hmph, cheaty little RASCAL! But I ended up getting a gorj outfit at Mendocino that I’ve now decided I’m not going to wear after all.

I mean, it’s supposed to be 36° in NYC tomorrow! So comfort is my main goal. And I just don’t wear tight tight skinny capris jeans, or sundresses for that matter. So I’m basically wearing loose khaki capris and a light black top, which, OMG, I have to put in the dryer RIGHT. NOW. Be right back.

By the way, digression, if you haven’t seen Justin Bieber’s Never Say Never movie? SEE IT. LOVE. I’ve never been prouder to be Canadian. And that might be sad (and, admittedly, a tad exaggerated) but, just, see the movie.

First, though, please go check out the Save the Children/Frigidaire microsite, which goes live tomorrow (June 9). As many of you know, I do what I can help animals — eat a vegan diet, keep a vegan food blog (that desperately needs updating, I know!), donate, etc. — but children’s causes are also, obviously, extremely dear to my heart. So I’m excited to learn more about Jennifer’s cause. I’m in. Very very in.

Deets to come! Eek! Wish me luck!

Oh! And I’ll try to live tweet throughout the day at @cheaty and @todaysparent.

Huge THANK YOU to the lovely Rachelle Stark and, of course, my amazing colleagues at Today’s Parent for making this happen!

Love!
xo Haley-O

Photo: Karon.liu

You might have seen on Twitter (here and here) that the Monkey and I had quite an adventure yesterday (Tuesday).

We went to Citytv’s Summer in the Square to celebrate their hot new show lineup — America’s Got Talent, Bachelorette, Modern Family, Cougar Town, 30 Rock and more — and, best of all, to sit down with Jackie Evancho and her family, and to hear her sing.

Jackie Evancho is the now-legendary 11-year-old singing SENSATION who finished second in the fifth season of America’s Got Talent. She now has one top-selling album behind her and another forthcoming (full-length) album in stores June 14th, Dream with me, which David Foster produced.

I’ve got all the deets, plus videos of Jackie singing (ANGELIC!), photos, our interview and a funny little incident during the interview, in which the Monkey crawled quietly over to Jackie’s sparkly iPhone and stared at it. Go check it out HERE — it’s CUTE!

In the meantime, here are some more photos from the day….

The Monkey at the Citytv building, holding tightly to the rose she brought for Jackie (you can see Jackie sweetly holding it in the photo above!)….

The VIP Monkey….

Jackie on stage with Breakfast Television‘s Kevin Frankish….

It was such a great day for the Monkey and me. And I’m grateful to my awesome team at Today’s Parent and Citytv for sending us. I tend to need a big kick in the butt to go to events. I guess I’m not really that adventurous. So this was huge — exhilarating!

As for the Monkey, she’s learning a bit too quickly about fame. And I’m being mindful about how she perceives it. “Mama’s going to meet a big big big big big movie STAR,” she said today about a big DEAL of a thing I’m doing in the very near future. But I can tell, thankfully, that she doesn’t really know what that means. And I’m not encouraging any fascination, that’s for sure. It’s just no big deal. And it really isn’t. We’re all human, here and now.

But there actually is a rather extraordinary meeting with a big big big big big STAR (#nobigdeal!) in my very near future. Stay tuned for deets….

Now go check out our Jackie Evancho story!

Love!

xo Haley-O

Gorgeouses, I come bearing gifts today! I’ll give you the best one first. Here. TAKE HER!:

This dog, Betty White, is a mud magnet! She loves to get down and dirty. So we bathe her, as the Rascal would say, “a lot a lot of.” It’s obviously great having an entire lake at our disposal for just such a purpose….

The second gift is actually a poem I heard when I got in the car the other day and spontaneously turned on a Deepak Chopra radio show. I guess it was poetry night, but I’m not sure. I was in the car for 5 minutes, just long enough to hear this poem start-to-finish — kismet. The poem’s a little extremely intense, but it speaks to me, so I thought I’d share it with you….

The grapes of my body can only become wine
After the winemaker tramples me.
I surrender my spirit like grapes to his trampling
So my inmost heart can blaze and dance with joy.
Although the grapes go on weeping blood and sobbing,
“I cannot bear any more anguish, any more cruelty,”
The trampler stuffs cotton in his ears: “I am not working in
ignorance.
You can deny me if you want, you have every excuse,
But it is I who am the Master of this Work.
And when through my Passion you reach Perfection,
You will never be done praising my name.”

– Rumi (1207-1273).

I know. Woahhh. Still, it’s hard to get through entire novels these days. So there’s kind of nothing like a good poem from the dark ages to brighten your intellect, at least for a little while, right?

The third gift is a song and an idea mixed into one. I got this idea from the fabulous Kris Carr, and my kids and I are loving it (plus it’s great exercise)! Here goes: Dance to one song every single day. Inevitably, if you dance to one song, you’ll find you want to dance to two, three, etc.. Here’s what we’re dancing to today, one of our faves…. DANCE!

The fourth gift is just a gift I got today. I got to go to an ashtanga yoga conference. I brought the Monkey with me because I love the community so much, and I thought it’d be good for her to absorb some of the culture and positive energy.

While she drew pictures on my notebook, I listened intently to the wise David Robson explain why ON EARTH we do this extreme style of yoga 6 days a week, come hell or high water, children climbing on me or dog pawing my head, cats licking my mat or self-defeating thoughts plaguing my brain. And he talked about issues that really hit home for me — given my recent newsflash.

I think, to borrow his words, I’ve given my negative thoughts about myself and my body “a home” since I gained all this weight, to the point where I haven’t been able to even imagine myself slim again — which is problematic when your doctor gently suggests you better lose weight or else! By practising the very challenging Ashtanga yoga every day, I’m practising recognizing, and hence changing, such (negative) thought patterns.

So, eureka. Gift. I hope that helps you too. Even if you don’t practice yoga, it’s helpful to recognize the thoughts that contribute to what ails us.

When I get on my mat every day, I do in a sense go to battle. Not only against (or alongside) some of the more challenging poses of this practice, but against anxious or self-conscious thoughts that get in the way, attachments, and against time — which might actually be the biggest, most telling battle of all.

Love!
xo Haley-O

So, NEWSFLASH: I have high cholesterol.

My doc gave me the great news last Wednesday. Which was perfect because Josh was out of town all week so I was freaking out that I was heading for a heart attack all by myself all week. He’s home now, but I’m over it. My cholesterol’s not THAT high. And I guess I’m lucky we caught it while I’m in my mid-thirties. CRAZY that I have this in my mid-thirties. SCARY that I have this in my mid-thirties — especially since my family has seen some major heart issues this year.

I’m so lucky, though. This is a good, gentle kind of wake-up call. The Glinda of wake-up calls. Very thankful.

When I first heard the news, though, I got a little depressed. And, sadly, I found myself relieved that Josh was away so I couldn’t make it out to the Yoga shala. I just suddenly felt like I was morbidly obese, and I was embarrassed to be there and dreading those Marichyasana twists. Also, I’m a vegan. What’s a proud vegan yogi doing with high cholesterol? I felt guilty as charged — only I can’t remember the last time I ate anything to do with animals (other than the odd piece of birthday cake).

My doctor says this is most likely a weight thing or a hereditary thing, which I hope doesn’t mean that I’m destined for LIPATOR or whatever that cholesterol drug is called. Because I won’t do it. As I’ve said before, I’d rather not pee those meds into our rivers, lakes and oceans — I’m just not that important.

But I’m the most important person in the world to at least two very important people.

I need to be my absolute healthiest for my kids. So I’m going to fix this. The first thing I need to do is stop being weirdly afraid to lose weight, and, of course, I need to lose weight now. I mean REALLY lose weight — not lose it for a week and then gain it back. I need to change my lifestyle and just chill about this.

I know I’m not a sick person. I’m totally strong and capable of turning this thing around. Watch me, Gorgeouses. I’m in a better mood, and I’m making changes. My big thing is cutting out the sugar, which I hear creates cholesterol or something, and I need to eat frequent meals (the doc gave me a whole guide). Plus I’m reading Allen Carr’s Lose Weight Now, which is supposed to hypnotize you into losing weight, and no matter how I feel about myself and my diagnosis, I have to get my arse to the yoga shala and sweat it out among all those gorj, sweaty, inspiring people…. I’ll keep you posted!

Gotta go for now, my kitty wants to cuddle.

Okay, so while I’m busy cleaning up my entire act, you need to go out and pick up the June issue of Today’s Parent Magazine! (We’ll talk about that next time…. People are stopping me in the streets!) Open it up to p. 33, and you’ll see my latest print article and PHOTOS of celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak and me working out together. The issue came out at the perfect time, ahem, because the camera definitely adds 10 pounds….

Love!

xo Haley-O

Something’s shifting. Maybe it’s temporary, or maybe, more likely, I’m really tired.

I haven’t blogged in over a week and, by self-imposed law, I never miss a week! But it’s what I needed. Even today I feel like closing this Macbook right this second, and just being quiet. Working as an online editor means writing — a lot. And I love writing, so I don’t forget for one minute that this is, to borrow the Monkey’s favourite phrase, the job “of my dreams.” But it also means that I’m on my computer a lot.

This weekend I couldn’t stomach turning on my computer. And I think I still need one more night, at least, not to type on this keyboard, not to look at this bright screen. To read, to splash in the freezing cold lake — youch! To wear my crocs, sip a grande soy-no-water-tazo chai without guilt and despite challenge. To play soccer with the Rascal and Betty White. To practise my backwards somersaults with the Monkey in the grass. To be a mom and just celebrate that with my mom, my sister and sister-in-law at a cottage-country spa — thanks to our husbands. Happy Mother’s Day to us, indeed, and to all you Gorgeous moms out there!

I had a massage for the first time in years at the spa this weekend. The massage therapist said I was crazy tight around my forearms and shoulder blades — “Are you on the computer a lot?” Yes. Forearms.

Tomorrow I leave for yoga early. And I think I’ll wear something sparkly. I’m just so freaking malleable, so easily swayed, definitely nervous, and wracked with frustrating OCD lately. It comes around faster these days — or maybe I just notice it more. It’s tough battling this thing without medication sometimes. But I’m determined. Partly because my OCD makes me not want to pee meds into our lakes and oceans….

But the yoga helps a lot. And writing it out helps. And being open and laughing about it helps. And taking a break helps.

And so, silence. For at least a little while. So I can collect myself (again) and relax and not perform and enjoy my work and then turn it off and get some sleep and do what I do for me.

Something sparkly.

You know how I love to write? It seems I also love to take pictures. And I’ve really enjoyed loading these up here for you this evening. So here’s another story for the road — no words.

Thanks, as always, for being here.

Love!

xo Haley-O

Gorgeouses, I’ve been writing so much lately that the thought of writing this. next. word. is actually making me a little nauseous. But still. I’m dedicated, or something. And so I persevere and write through the nausea. Ahhhhh.

Still nauseous.

I think it might be the rain that’s making me nauseous actually. Or, more likely, my diet. My diet has gone to carp. And I think I gained five pounds back. BUT I finally did weigh myself this morning and saw that I lost a total of 8 pounds since I started my fitness challenges. Which means I’d probably lost about 18 pounds before Passover — when all that matzah flour effectively unleavened my willpower….

So we need a challenge. And we need one fast. Because David gave me another new set of yoga poses! And it was a disaster this morning.

I’m doing dropbacks now (with help, of course)! Here’s my gorj friend Miss Stan, my teacher David’s wife, demonstrating dropbacks when she was pregnant. And, in case you’re wondering, it was totally safe for her pregnancy because she was a pro at them before she became pregnant and just LOOK AT THEIR BABY (I rest my case):

Yes, I’m more obsessed with yoga than ever. It’s good that you noticed. And thanks, really, for indulging me. As a thank you, I give you a virtual mwwwwwwah and cottage pics from the long weekend!

The lake has defrosted….

Betty White demonstrated the utter brilliance that Malteses are known for and JUMPED IN the freshly defrosted water. It was so cold that she swam right back to shore, so I couldn’t get a good pic. But oy….

Oh, and dammit we lost our ball…!

But the shells we found made up for it….

And now….

CHALLENGE IS ON. Who’s with me? No sugar, no flour, no eating after dinner, awesome vigorous Ashtanga yoga practice daily.

I’ve got rice on the stove….

Steamed cauliflower and miso soup made….

Alice’s Tahini-Lemon dressing….

I’m all set. One week. NAY! TWO WEEKS: no sugar, no flour, no eating after dinner, daily awesome vigorous Ashtanga yoga. Are you doing a challenge with me? What are your challenge “rules” (for lack of better term)? LET’S DO IT! We’re BACK! TWO WEEKS.

Challenge ends: Friday, May the 14th. You in!?

Next week, we’ll talk sauerkraut and ardha baddha padma paschimottanasana. Bwah! LOOK AT THE TIME! I gotta get to bed! Tomorrow’s the Royal Wedding, and I’m getting up at 3am to live blog and tweet for Today’s Parent. So come visit me on twitter and over at my second home Celebrity Candy! The Monkey thiiiiiiiiiinks she’s waking up at 3am with me. She’ll NEVER do it. But we’ll see. I do have a pretty pink cupcake waiting for her (not me, blergh).

Love!

xo Haley-O