Happy Labor Day!

I hope you're enjoying your Labor Day! I slept in until after 9 this morning, which felt divine, and then decided to work around the house. I folded laundry, something I rarely do but since my husband has spent nearly every waking moment working in my office I figured it was least I could do for him!

I sweetened the task by listening to Kimberly Wilson's latest podcast as I worked. I'm contemplating signing up for her online creativity circle as well. It starts tomorrow so I better contemplate quickly!!!

This morning I also cleaned the area beside my bed, also known as the book breeding ground. You see I start with a few books beside my bed so that when I turn in for the night I have some choices. (I always read several books at one time.) Then it seems like the books multiply or something!!! There were at least 20 books beside my bed, plus a handful of magazines and a mandala coloring book. It was definitely a bit much! I pared down to a mere four books, leaving my beside area much more serene looking.

Next I moved on to my desk/work area. I've actually been working on this space throughout the weekend as I move into my new office. I took some "during" pictures of the transition, but don't want to post them until I have some lovely "after" pictures to share as well. Hopefully soon! My therapy office officially opens tomorrow! I am very excited! I have created what I feel is a beautiful, peaceful environment for people to relax in as they reflect on their lives, struggles, goals, hopes, and dreams. More on my practice as a psychologist to come soon! And pictures of the office as well!

Bonjour September!

Each new month, and especially each changing season, inspires me to reflect on my goals.

In June, I wrote that I planned to do these things by the end of the year:

• close on property for wellness center: Yup! I can't believe it has been more than two months since we closed...
  

• pass EPPP: Yes again! And thank goodness, that took quite the load off of my mind!

• try yoga dance class: Yes, tried this class a few weeks back at Shakti. It was really fun, but definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone at times, especially when we danced in a circle and had to take turns dancing in the middle and leading the group!

• go to california with my husband to relive our honeymoon: Check! Ahh... that was wonderful...
  

• go back to spinning class: Nope. Not even close...didn't even check the schedule...
  

• take goddess leonie's de-cluttering e-course & clear some major clutter: Technically I took the course, but I never got past week 2 and I certainly don't feel like I cleared any major clutter :-( Will keep this goal on the list for Fall.
  

• open a private practice: Doors should be open the day after Labor Day! Furniture is coming this Thursday!
  

• take a family vacation to rhode island: Yes! We had a great time hanging out on the beach.

• brainstorm new ways to volunteer in my community: I've been continuing with my volunteer yoga gig, but haven't put any more thought into new outlets. Will keep this on the Fall list as well.

Fall 2009 Goals:

• Begin a daily meditation practice
• Re-commit to a weekly Artist Date
• Continue walking at least 30 minutes at least 3 times per week
• Swim laps at least 2 times per week
• Continue weekly yoga class
• Clear some major clutter (need to get more specific on this one)
• Attend Level 3 yoga training
• Brainstorm volunteer opportunities

As I reflect, I'm feeling pretty good about my health and physical activity. I also feel amazing about my family and work situation. I think I'd like my main focus for the Fall to be on really clearing our home environment of clutter.

What are your Fall goals?

picture above is the view from our boat as the sun set on lake ontario

Scrumptious Smoothies

I am officially on a smoothie kick! I've been blending up a storm! I don't have recipes or anything; although I'm sure they are easy enough to find. I've been doing some intuitive smoothie - making :-)

A few of my favorites...

A protein-packed sweet option:

ice about 1 cup lite Vanilla soy milk 1 banana about 1/4 cup peanut butter drizzle or two of chocolate syrup Blend and savor!!!
Here is a fruity-delicious option:

ice about 1 cup lite Vanilla soy milk 1/2 banana 1/2 cup strawberries 1/2 cup blueberries
Blend and enjoy!!! I need to come up with fun, Ben & Jerry - like names for my smoothies!

Photo credit

Taking stock

Wow! I can't believe it is August 20th! Where has the time gone... It has been almost a week since I returned from vacationing, but I feel like I am still not back in the groove of things. I think part of the problem is I feel like my days lack shape. On the one hand this is fabulous because I have so much flexibility in designing how I spend my time, but on the other hand I feel overwhelmed by all the choices. Another issue I am having with working right now is that my only office is a space within my bedroom. I find myself working and then getting caught up in the urge to clean up the house or even take a nap! Hopefully my new office space will be ready in the next few weeks...

Ugh... right now I am so struggling with work! I think I need to take stock of where I am at and come up with a plan and a schedule!

Basically what I am attempting here, along with my fabulously supportive husband, is the opening of two new businesses (Living Wellness of Niagara and my private practice as a psychologist) and the expansion of one existing business (Tree of Life Yoga Studio).

For Living Wellness of Niagara, we have purchased a property, started repairs, completed a business plan with the help of the SBDC, and applied for two grants. We are in a sort of standstill now while we wait to hear about the grants. Two things that I can work on are the accounting (groan) and the website (more groaning).

For my private practice, I have passed the licensure exam, applied to be on insurance panels, applied for a professional LLC, and attended a workshop on private practice. Things I can work on for this business are accounting (as you can see I tend to let this slip - I hope my dear accountant does not read this blog), researching software for electronic medical records, and creating other necessary forms. I also have a meeting next week about a possible consulting contract that I need to prepare for and I am teaching a class at Niagara County Community College so I need to finalize my syllabus.

For the yoga studio I need to - you guessed it - catch up on the accounting! I'll also need to start thinking about the fall schedule soon, including any specialty offerings.

So it seems that I have a reasonable amount of work to do and now that I've thought it through it is pretty well-defined. I guess I will get to work!

Exciting updates

Reasons I have not posted in oh-so-long:

1. Working hard at the future home of Living Wellness of Niagara. Exhibit A: moi standing on a ladder painting my new office in eco-friendly paint. Also note the gorgeous new fan and light fixture installed by my lovely hubby. Disclaimer: he really did most of the painting! The place used to be a framing shop so there were about a zillion little holes in the walls that we had to fill in and sand off...ugh! I tried to capture some of the amazing woodwork & leaded glass windows in the top left photo. I am so in love with this place! I cannot wait until it is ready to be revealed to all! The hardwood floors are being refinished throughout this week and then we have a bit more painting to do.


2. My poor furbaby Monty had to have a minor procedure that left him with stitches and one of those goofy (but effective) cones on his head.










3. My hubby and I took a short trip to Sonoma, California.




Pictured to the right is the view from Viader, our favorite winery in the area.

We also went into Napa to have dinner at Ubuntu, a fabulous vegetarian restaurant/yoga studio. I didn't have a chance to take in a yoga class, but I did enjoy a relaxing practice everyday in the hotel room.


This is what I had for dinner at Ubuntu. It is an amazing salad filled with scrumptious flowers, vegetables, and more from their biodynamic garden - so delicious!!!!









4. After traveling home from California, I spent the day at the American Psychological Association Conference in Toronto for a workshop on private practice. I always feel invigorated after a day of professional development, whether for yoga or psychology!


5. Next the family and I headed off to Rhode Island for a wedding! Whew! A lot of traveling in just a few short weeks! It has been great to take some time away. Sometimes it is hard to pick up and leave in the midst of a big project, but I feel confident that we will return refreshed and inspired to continue our work!

Self-Care Cards

Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation. ~Audre Lorde

Our topic for the Women's Wellness Workshop on Sunday was "Self-Care in Times of Stress." After a relaxing yoga practice with lots of balasana throughout, the participants rested in savasana as I guided them through a meditation. We spent the rest of our time together journaling about self-care and then making Self-Care Cards. Cheryl Richardson has created a deck of Self-Care Cards that we used as inspiration while we each dreamed up our own version.

This is a picture of a card I made. It focuses on ways I can take care of myself physically. For me that means eating right, getting enough sleep, and moving my body as much as possible!

There are many other areas of self-care, such as social connections, emotional outlets, taking a break from the situation, and more! I think homemade Self-Care Cards are a great visual reminder for not only stressful times, but everyday! They are fun to make, sort of like a mini collage, so why not give it a try?

I love my new bike!

Got to go for a ride on my new (to me) bike today! My sweet gramma let me have her bike and I have been anxiously awaiting trying it out! I love how it says Free Spirit on the bike - so perfect!



I was pretty nervous at first! I haven't been on a bike in at least 15 years! But the saying is true; it came right back to me. It really was a blast! I was afraid to go too far on the street so my daughter and I went down on the Robert Moses Parkway bike trail and took a nice ride away from cars, sidewalks, and all that other scary stuff! I feel like I got the hang of it today so maybe tomorrow I will give the road a try. I'm really hoping to bike to work or the farmer's market once I get my confidence up!