Anonymous

 

Shop (even for household items,) more than once a week and you may be a shopaholique. 

Peppy steppy

Walk about the neighborhood. 

Clothing as KOSHA - SHEATH 

More PEP in my STEP this AM thanks to the husband who scooped up and brought back with him a small assemblage of attire from my main closet at home whilst there on a work day (I am on a month-long uninterrupted ‘reclusive’ vaycay). I didn’t realize how fatigued I was of my pathetic selection of duds (it is ASPEN, after all,) until I donned a neon swimsuit, gingham dress, silky cardi, pink suede sneakers and got a NEW LEASE ON LIFE!

Unfortunately? But powerfully! Clothing acts as a sheath - energetic layer - which can be used to our advantage (or disadvantage). 

P.S. The procuring of such items was made possible by strategic, color-coded closet organization (and periodic paring down,) allowing myself to plainly explain and my husband to effortlessly locate the 10 or so sought-after items in mere minutes via FaceTime. 🛍️ 

Purchase less, create more ✌️

Best of Aspen

 

Blue Cookie Muncher Ice Cream 

PARADISE BAKERY, Aspen

 

💚🌳En route to the muncher 🍨 💙

My Armoire

 

As a former clothing COLLECTOR (hoarder-squirrel 🐿️!) this is a new frontier for me —

Wear your SEASONAL (shop once quarterly max) wardrobe so much that there is no question as to whether you love and keep the clothing longer OR, NO QUALMS, they’ve fulfilled their destiny and you don’t! 

Mountain Mama Summer Wardrobe, as of Late July:

💚keep 💛this is its last season ❤️already out the door  💙hmmm🧐

💛Silver espadrilles - wearing through

❤️Black river shoes (pictured above) - stretched from last Summer, already said See Ya (poubelle)

💛Flip-flops - maintaining

💛Crazy Crocs - worse for wear, as used for all hikes and most bikes

💛Purple bandana bikini - hanging on for dear life

💛White & Blue One piece - yellowing at edges 

💙Tomato soup cashmere sweater - soft as ever, maybe showing age?

💛Skull Sweater - last hurrah 

💚Prairie skirt (pictured) - good to go 😅 

💚2x Shorts - just fine 

💚Taupe linen pants - surprisingly great

💚Flowered cross-body bag (pictured) - still fresh 

💛Rose tote - wilting

💙2x Camisoles and 2x T’s - washing well

💚Sweats - new this trip :)

💚PJ’s - beddable 

💚Silk Dress - unfortunately unworn since childcare disappeared into thin air 🌬️ 

💚Shiny amethyst long cardigan - keeper

💚💜Jewels - lovely and sentimental as ever.💕 

The forced Capsule Collection that comes inherently with travel is blissful. My dear friend says all of her belongings (ALL!?) would “fit into an armoire”. What a beautiful image and, sigh, dare I say, Holy Grail, in these excessive times. 

Dirndl

 

Dirndl 

Liebe - Love

How do we, as women, find our personal UNIFORM in the current CHAOS of literally unlimited options?

You are yours 💘

 

What’s the next ITERATION of YOU?? Decide as though no one else gives a !&*% — because they don’t!! 💜💕💔

Collect stars

 

Dandasana - Staff Pose

Stars not stuff. 

👙 Freshies 🍦

 

Prasarita Padottanasana - Wide Legged Forward Bend 

variation Both Hands on One Ankle

Returned home from the neighborhood pool today and threw my swimsuit in the garage’s trash still wet. 💦 Why oh why am I wearing these tired, faded, stretched separates to the splashy parties ?? SAYONARA !! 🍑 

Clear the decks !! 🌊 

Close and Click

Aparigraha - Yama of non-possessiveness, non-greed, non-attachment 

It’s finally here. Mommy’s ‘off’-season. No birthdays or holidays in this home until October and I’m giddy. I sat at the coffee shop this morning practically levitating; Easter was my final hoorah and it’s behind me. 

Of course, there will still be endless playdates, gatherings and pool parties in our near future, but those parlous (albeit winnowed* and well organized!) DECORATION BINS are now clicked shut and closed up in the cupboards — for nary half the year !!!!! 🥂 

*Some sizable, substantial decorations have only lived with me through 2 years, 2 rounds of celebrating, but were a mistake that must be acknowledged and their donation pick-up is scheduled. I hope it’s not too inconvenient to pass along life-size trick-or-treating statues, giant glowing snowflakes, glitter encrusted cranberry wreaths, golden light-up nutcrackers, and stoic German Santa Clauses in May…

Get it together

 

Dwi Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana (Vrschikasana Pada) — Two legged Downward Facing Dog (Scorpion-esque)

If you take your kids to the store, plan on buying them something — “one salty snack, one sweet”, “one snack, one drink”, “one non-food item”. If you don’t want to buy them anything - don’t bring them!!!!!

PS : Offering to buy GUM can generally seal the deal. 💋 

SUPERficial

The Material World is frivolous and should delight. If it’s weighing us down, we must rethink our approach. 

Outshine

Above - SunBum, Mineral Fusion, Pacifica, Physician’s Formula, Dr Haushka, Waleda, A La Maison, HoneyPot, ORL… fond of them from old fashioned trial and error. Personal, empirical data that no amount of “(online) research” could ever compete with. 🤓

Learning is EXPERIENTIAL. All of the second-hand information in the world can never top trying something for yourself. 🎩 Just as all the 1000’s of product reviews cannot substitute for physically testing said commodity 1st-hand. 💋

 

🤵‍♀️ Look Cute - Have Fun 😻

Shopping should be FUN. In France they would say it should be a ‘pleasure’. As a necessity of most modern lives, we may as well know our Shopping Style to make it gratifying, if not a thrill ;)

• In Person or Online
• Morning or Evening
• Dolled-up or Incognito 
• Full Price or Bargain
• Specific or Open-ended
• Marathons or Sprints
• Prepped or Impromptu
• Focused or Multi-task
• Alone or Accompanied 

Personal Profile: Anytime I Order I feel I could have fared better In-Person, I hit the shops upon Opening, I Preen enough to be friendly and decisive, I dwell if it’s not a Steal,  I’m capriciously receptive to Unplanned Purchases, I Pack numerous drinks and snacks, I must have my own Bags and a vacant car, phone calls are Silenced, I shop Alone or with my mother ❤️…

Rosy Urdhva Mukha Svanasana

Urdhva Mukha Svanasana - Combat depression and apathy. Improve posture. Also true for the color Pink☺️

Pink is a neutral, right? Besides all pink shades (and now even reds,) MY ordinary dailies include blue from ice to navy, army greens, and metallics. One look at my closet and it is obvious what I love. Are YOUR favorites represented? Does your wardrobe MIRROR back to you your tastes? (Are you even acquainted with what you fancy? Have you granted your preferences permission to evolve?) This is cohesion. Yoga - to yolk.

Rose Quartz

Palm Beach frond

Palm Frond as broom 🧹

Each balmy midmorning outside a prestigious estate in in lavish Palm Beach, I witnessed an unerring monk deep in meditation: a tranquil caretaker sweeping the street with a palm frond. 

Palm fronds symbolize victory, triumph and INTEGRITY. 

bisous-between-the-sheets 💋🎀

 

Ode to romantic sheets - cotton bows and bouquets - for everyone. Boys, too. 🎀 Hospital corners and big square euro pillows. Plus my (to me unhackneyed) fascination - quilts. 

Just add PINK

Christmas BITS & BOBS AWAY !! But maybe not all of it ??

The intersection of Christmas and Valentine’s Day (DECOR):

- RED

- green

- greenery 

- little trees

- BOWS

- pompoms

- bells

- BIRDS

- deer

- squirrels etc.

- snowmen

- snowflakes, icicles 

- LIGHTS - red, pink, white mode

- tinsel & shine

- CRYSTALS

- candles

- LOVE - hearts, peace

- chocolate 

… Just ADD lots of HEARTS & gobs of PINK !!

 

I have joined the rEVolution, you can too

Thus far, the most intriguing aspect of owning our new electric vehicle (impressive, life-changing, unbelievable, sublime ...) has been the attitudes of others. I am stunned by the onslaught of assumption and assessment from people who have never personally purchased, occupied, tried or even been inside of an electric car. They pronounce their opinions with such authority and passion I am astonished they have NO real first-hand experience.

How quick are we to believe what we hear? Do we confuse reading about or googling something with actually doing it? Why do we enjoy being naysayers? What makes us so threatened by innovation? Do we naturally block transformation? Why, why, why do we resist onward-moving, forward-thinking, revolutionary ideas that preserve our way of life and the planet ???

This being said, there are also equal numbers of fellow humans intrigued, interested, open and excited.

Not the first, nor the last - but another zero emissions ultraist household is here.

paraphernalia

Do you have all your halloween affairs in order? Costumes should be comfortable, layer-able, collectible, and preferably either spooky or at least festive fall color scheme; semi-classic.

At our home, Mummy collects costumes throughout the year so that quality and cute can be taken into consideration without the clock ticking. The children use this arsenal for dress-up in all seasons. The true holiday attire (witch hats, cat ears, monster masks...) is then added to the trunk and rack for the duration of October or kept in the living room to prolong the fun and involve visitors, too. The little trick-or-treaters/party-goers can then pick the-day-of what they are feeling as they are already comfortable and accustomed to their guise.

If yours-truly has her heart set on a certain ensemble, I save it for the day of, betting quite predictably they will pick the new arrival. We are also known to run about in varied partial costumes (accessories) the whole week-of as well. What are you being for Halloween? Anything, everything!

All of this beats the stress of hunting and never finding and/or succumbing to purchasing the pure crap many are selling. By October 1, we have finished our Fall foraging.

off you go

Waldorf, Montessori, Country Day,  Public Education ... 

I visit first-hand the schools within a small radius, preferably walking or biking distance, and make a gut-based, heart-led decision. I try my best to commit and reconsider only at proper intervals (moving into lower, middle, upper). I trust my decision, but not dogmatically. 

Waldorf, Montessori & Reggio are the three progressive approaches to early childhood education, which appear to be growing in influence around the world. 

~

All three approaches represent an explicit idealism and turn away from war and violence towards peace and reconstruction. 

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They are built on coherent visions of how to improve human society by helping children realize their full potential as intelligent, creative whole persons.

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www.montessoricentrewales.com

Instead of 'teaching' our children 'how the world is' and how to 'succeed' in that world, let's get out of their way and let them shape a new world.