Alex is Thirteen!!!

I can't believe my little Alex turned 13. Okay, he grew taller than me when he was 11, but still... We had a family party and ate Doritos, Quiznos Subs and ice cream cake and then went to see the new James Bond movie, Quantum Solace.

My perspective on the movie was that I was disappointed it was too dark in the theater to knit; I tried, I really tried. Needless to say, I never have been a James Bond fan. But everyone else liked it; Alex thought the plot could have had a little more development though.

Big surprise, Alex really wanted a Lego set for his birthday, and music and the funky jacket he is putting on in the pictures. He also wanted a MacBook, but we all have to have dreams.

Hooray Rebecca and John!

This past Sunday Rebecca ran in her first race; the annual Stockade-athon in Schenectady. She ran the one- mile race and John ran with her. (He was worried about his 44 -year -old knees that once enjoyed running. They seem fine)

Rebecca is a natural runner and it's probably a good outlet for her. She is competitive, focused and very intense. She also has a lot of energy. Running is probably a good way for her to channel all of that.

She also has long legs and a narrow frame. That she did not get from me, sigh........

It really is a new day

I am ecstatic and hopeful about politics in this country for the first time in a long time. Barack Obama actually won, by millions of votes, the presidency. Millions more people voted for him then for John McCain!

I actually cried because I have been worried about the ways things have been headed. I cried out of relief that maybe, maybe we can do things differently at a national level.

Like, how about shutting down Guantanamo Bay and making NO concessions for torture? For a start.....

I thought McCain's concession speech was his best speech this whole political season and Obama's acceptance speech was tremendous.

I think it's like Colin Powell said; Obama has the potential to be transformational. For me, Obama represents the potential I see in younger generations. I could see it there; it just wasn't in operation at a national political level.

I don't expect Obama or politics to be perfect or save us. I think that's part of older ideas about Democrats vs Republicans. I think that's what I found refreshing about Obama and his campaign. He did not rely on older and untrue notions about how and what Democrats think and how and what Republicans think. Of course, saying and doing are different things and it remains to be seen what actually changes, but I think the language we use and the way we frame our discussions and differences is hugely important.

So, here we are. Our friends Mindy and Donald had a party on election night. We stayed out very late on a school night. Rebecca was tired and Alex wouldn't have had it any other way.

Alex was really engaged with this whole election. He watched every debate. He discussed and argued with kids at school. He was anxious about the outcome.

And I wanted this as much for him. He is 12, almost 13, and sees the world in black and white. I wanted him to be hopeful about politics and see change. He has grown up under Bush: Rebecca has not known any other president. Alex is smart and thoughtful. He is cynical about politicians. He comes by that honestly though.

I'm back

I forgot how to get into my blog since it became part of a Google account. But I finally had the time to figure it out!

Life has been full. The yogi part has been busy creating kids classes. This has been a lot of fun and a lot of work. I have for a long time had the idea of combining yoga with wisdom tradition stories.

About three years ago I became very interested in storytelling. My sister, who was moving West across the country at the time, bought me this storyteller figure as a gift. I keep her in my study for inspiration. I have started teaching more kids yoga classes and it has inspired me to create a curriculum. These stories are wonderful ways to teach about peace, hope, kindness, compassion. Combining these stories with yoga practices that teach us to cultivate and honor our inner wisdom makes for engaging and life affirming practices. My favorite books so far are: Spinning Tales, Weaving Hope, edited by a number of storytellers, Peace Tales, by Margaret Read MacDonald, and Wisdom Tales from Around the World, by Heather Forest.

Of course as I researched and pulled together my classes I found a woman in Colorado with the same idea and a trade marked program teaching these stories and yoga to kids. So, kudos to her. I bought her book, Storytime Yoga, which is really good.

The real blessing in all of this has been Rebecca's blossoming as a yogini. She has really embraced these stories and yoga practices. She is often my assistant at the kids classes and is usually a wonderful role model. Because she is learning these practices, she teaches me too. And there is nothing cooler than your child telling you, "this isn't a big problem, it will be okay," when you really need to hear it.

Lisa's scarf

I finished a scarf for my friend and fellow yogi Lisa. For such a simple scarf it was very long in process- which is fine since it's all about the process, right??!!

It's Mango Moon Recycled Sari Silk and Kiddie Print mohair blend. Early on the Mango Moon tangled badly. It took a seriously long time untangling, all the while telling myself that this was my meditation practice. By the time I had untangled it I had purchased a yarn winder. Even wound it was surprizingly tangley (I know this may not be a word)

Lisa has a website and a fabulous Yoga Nidra CD.

Happy Holidaze!

We are tree huggers and tree worshippers all. I am only beginning to learn about the Green Man. Here's to more of that in 2007!

More knitting, less reading

I have actually finished some kniting projects! They are both from knitalongs that have kept me going.

The scarf, Diamond Fantasy, modeled by Rebecca, is from Sivia Harding Knits. The yarn is Claudia hand painted merino wool in a fingering weight on size 5 (US) bamboo needles. It was SO SOFT to work with and I am sure that knitting my first lace project with a fingering weight was way easier than knitting with a lace weight. It also only took me a mere 8 months to complete it. I cast off on election day, November 7, giving me lots to celebrate!!!

With this project I learned about blocking. I found out it really wasn't too hard once I quit reading about it and tried it. And I did it without the fancy blocking wires that Knitpicks sells and I kept thinking I would purchase and try.

I also finished some socks from a Nancy Bush Knitting on the Road KAL. These were the July/ August socks that I finished at the end of October. They were done in a Mountain Colors, Mountain Goat, Sagebrush. It is a wool, mohair blend. I love these socks except they are thick and do not fit well with most of my shoes.

SO now on to some Christmas gifts: long-promised socks for my sister and a silk/mohair scarf for a friend. I am also knitting socks for John and I think he's resigned to receiving them after Christmas. Some day maybe I'll be a fast knitter.