Vacate ~ Twist to Cleanse

Parivrtta Sukhasana - Revolved Easy Pose
Easy pose is not easy, but over time and with practice, a bit easier.

Daydreaming about a dramatic life change? What is it you are imaginably missing? We live in opportune times, but moving city, house or school may be an exaggeration despite its prevalence.

Perhaps you miss your hometown — go and visit! You likely also crave connection, so invite the neighbors for an aperitif. Has house hunting become an obsession? Maybe clear out some furniture, add color or create an outdoor living space. Is the kids’ school bogging you down and your booking tours at other shiny options? Well, that’s what Summer vacation (vacate!) is for: take a break! 

Pinpoint your longing and use creativity and resourcefulness to fulfill it in your immediate situation and surroundings. Because, let’s face it, the kids don’t want to ‘move’.

& then see if you feel the same way come Fall…

Moving? ~ Prayer Hands Flow

Namaste Vinyasa - Prayer Hands Flow
Inhale - reach arms out and up to meet the palms overhead.
Exhale - bring hands, palms together, to heart center.

Seeking out a new residence, dwelling, abode? Take very careful care and consideration of your current home: thoroughly declutter, clean, re-organize, re-arrange - and your next domicile will surely and expediently find you (not the other way around) … OR your refresh will have you favoring your pre-existing location. 

Branded ~ Personal Style

Personal style so distinctive it’s a brand.

Oh, how I aspire to join the ranks of those with strong, distinguishable (marketable) style perspective, but, alas, I just like so many things!

The Tone of Your Home

Zesty, starry, shiny, peppery, salty, coppery, green, energetic, soft, pink, calm, blue... Mom Vibes - to infinity and beyond!!!

As women we set the tone of our home, and that energy, embodied in the members of our family and the visitors to our environment, ripples out indefinitely.

Cloudy days call for colorful dinners…

Not pictured: Stormy Day Dinner was chicken tortilla soup (from a dear school-mom-friend's Boulder CO soup company) with plenty of Astrid's home-baked vanilla pound cake (new fave) with fresh CO cow whipped cream. 

🌼 Ditzy Bimbo 🌼

What is a girl to do?

I have a penchant for embarrassing myself. Hopefully it amuses others and maybe puts them at ease? This blonde likes to have fun and doesn’t mind looking like a lunatic doing it (knocking over cups full of pens in a solemn bank meeting 😬, showing up to the pool opening - and swimming! - 2 days early with 6 kids in tow: “why is no one else here?” 😬, bopping around town with my shirt inside-out 😬, stating my drive-thru order loud and clearly into the trash can placed en route to the speaker 😬, and on and on all the days long…)

Happy-go-lucky, carefree and a bit daffy while hard-working in my home, active at our school, engaged in the neighborhood, out-and-about in my community…

When actively occupied both at-home and about-town, faux pas are bound to happen and, in my case, it is gaffes galore!! You are welcome?🙏 

Candles On My Cake ~ Virabhadrasana II

Virabhadrasana II - Warrior 2

 

__ Kisses when I wake.

__ Candles on my cake.

We have closed ‘Birthday Season’ (until next October) in the Kirschenbaum home. A huge EXHALE for a mother who decorates and celebrates (6 human stars and a sparkle pup) in fantastical excess. 💐 

Is Your Rest Constructive? ~ Constructive Rest Pose

Constructive Rest Pose

Knees together, feet apart.

 Deeply relaxing - like a self hug. 💞

Just as your food should be nourishing, your rest should be deliberate. 🫛

Green Goddess Dressing, Flower Blossom Cookies, Nut Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Dates, Mamachi’s Tomato sauce has carrots and cream, Homemade Food makes your fridge beautiful.

Garnish with your garden flowers (lilac here).

Yes - It’s Yogini Food! ~ Diver Pose

Diver Pose (Drinking Bird Pose) 🦅 

What does a Yogini cook and eat? Why, the foods she loves, of course.What foods does a Yogini love?

Living a creative life means create-ing daily; handmade delectable edibles are a piece-of-cake way to commune with the divine per diem (especially if you’re planning to eat anyways)!

Just keep COOKing (in silence for effortless enlightenment).

Spring goddess salad, chocolate pots, homemade ‘perfect bars’ plus oats, three berry muffins, classic stuffed bell peppers. 💚🤍❤️

EN-JOY

Breaking Bread ~ Parfait-asana

Berries, dairy, crystal. 🍓🐮💎

Procuring, preparing, serving, and bussing (week)daily dinner takes an immense amount of effort, consideration and sacrifice; therefore, it is imperative to nourish your family by making and sharing the recipes you yourself LOVE. Breaking bread is a daily form of modeling universal respect and zest for life.

Germans liebe potato salad.

Chocolate pots all around.

Greek salad is pretty in pink and green.

Just add granola: substantial Greek yogurt and berry dessert to prevent late night snacking.

50% ~ Natarajasana II

Natarajasana II - Dancer Pose 2, hand to floor
Cherry tomato heart on chest.

I may need to oust an actual percentage of our stuff in order to recall my Yogini, hippie, natural mama priorities and promises. 50% give or take? 🍅 

Upwards ~ Anjaneyasana

Anjaneyasana - Low Lunge

Vertical organization - higher shelving, hanging plants … storage off of the floor. 🪴 

Hand-me-downs ~ Virabhadrasana I

Virabhadrasana I - Warrior One 
The color of the heart is green.

I am stuck on the Stuff Merry-Go-Round. Packing for a family of six makes me lose my mind a little. I have beneficially and appropriately kept and corralled many, many seasons and sizes of duds and doo-dads, but this again? How many times can I unbox, unfold, sort, fold, wash, dry, sort, fold, pack, unpack, sort, shakeout, dust off, examine, sort, fold, keep, pass along, repeat …

Ordination ~ Ardha Eka Pada Galavasana

Ardha Eka Pada Galavasana - Baby / Half Flying Pigeon Pose
What feels suitable with the floating leg?

We must forgo 80% of everything (we do, own, don, desire etc.) if we would like a ‘signature’ anything, and much more if ‘iconic’ is the desired ordination.

Cotton? Linen? Silk? Spandex! ~ Ardha Kapotasana

Ardha Kapotasana - Half Pigeon Pose
Fly free with any clothing and all accessories.

How about not ‘yoga clothes’ for yoga. (Although I get it - cotton is heavy when wet and slow to dry!) 🤔 

LBD NBD ~ Koundinyasana II

Koundinyasana II - Flying Splits Pose 2, Preparation
Pausing here often during Vinyasa.
This is an accurate representation of what I generally wear to yoga: dark leggings, a lightweight, medium tone half-length undertank, and a looser (often grey) soft top tucked in.
With a rose quartz colored cotton mat.

Color TONALITY is important when dressing - take into account how much CONTRAST you do or do not have regarding your skin, eyes, and hair (and shade changes due to age, health status, tanned skin, sun-kissed tresses …). 

Hint: Not everyone looks great in black. 🌞 🖤

Vinyasa ~ Vasisthasana

Vasisthasana Vinyasa - Side Plank Dance
🪩 Move in vinyasa manner to find your groove; embrace certain elements (and omit others) to make the practice your own. ☃️ 

❄️❤️Combine the things you love.❤️❄️

Flavors ~ Vasisthasana Janu

Vasisthasana Janu - Side Plank Pose on Knees

With endless iterations of every asana, get a sampling through your vinyasa - move fluidly through numerous variations to discover a new flavor.🍦 

Dip, dip, dip, FRY, bake…
Crispy chicken tenders are THE crowd pleaser - so triple the recipe!!!

Always playing with homemade frosting. 🧁 

Bye Bye, Bra ~ Pranayama

I wore a more traditional bralette today for my AM movement and, boy, did I regret it. It was sweet with lace, constructed from organic cotton and seemed benign enough, but I was suffocating by the hours end with that tight-ish band encircling my ribcage and constricting my lung expansion, I couldn’t wait to rip it off (and toss it out)!

‘Burn’ any BRA that restricts - strangles! - your diaphragm. Wear soft, little camisoles without the throttling punishment of asphyxiation, or simply go bare, and fully breathe in life once again! 

Cookies, Socks and Winter Activities - Oh My 😝 ~ Parsva Urdhva Hastasana

Parsva Urdhva Hastasana - Upward Salute Side Bend Pose
Can you straighten your arms? All the way?

I am back in the kitchen with verve baking up a storm once again. Is it my new “easy bake oven” (air fryer)? Or the fact that my youngest is now three and slightly less underfoot? It is both I am sure, and other factors, too. (Chilly weather💨.) Whatever it is sparking my creative joy, I will run with it…as do my children and so should you! 🍪

Brownies, banana bread, oatmeal raisin balls, yogurt cake, sugar cookies, cream cheese frosting… biscuits, french fries, quiche, pigs in a blanket, pizza, grilled cheese, quesadillas, roasted (air fried) everything and the list goes on… I kid you not, these kids actually expect me to feed them EVERY DAY!!! 🤪

My daughter knits socks.  🧶 🧦 For MY feet. 😍🥰

& these adorable and refreshing Gen Alpha kids also sing, tinker on the piano, play violin, craft, craft, craft and, obviously, level-up our nestle chips. 🎻🌸🎉

Doodlers Love Doodles ~ Tadasana Hindolasana

🌈Tadasana Hindolasana - Standing Cradle Pose. Just here being my embellished self. 🎀🐯🎄  

How we do one thing is how we do everything. One look in my cabinet and I had to laugh - a collection of drawings on both my shelf stable household items and my perishables…

Everything must have doodly drawings in HappyGoLuckyILoveCreativityWithColor&PatternAstridLand.