Back to yoga

Finished transcribing all three podcasts today. Whew. Unless there's another round, I can get back to the other computery projects which have been nagging at me in my head. Oh, and it would be nice to do some housework so I can walk around the house without risk of severe bodily harm in one form or another. And clean socks would be awesome, not that I can see my feet most of the time.

I did go outside for my half hour (with the kids for much of it) and finish filling the yardy, picking up sticks and whatnot. Not sure what else I can do in the yard until after trash day comes again. Aha! I went to look up getting a second yardy, and the leaf vacuum collection (big hit with the kids: vacuum truck) will start next week! I hadn't realized there was a spring one in addition to the one in the fall. So I can still rake and put things by the curb.

In the afternoon, I went to yoga, taught by E, one of our parishioners. She is lovely. It was just me and one other lady, also a good friend. We laughed quite a bit, especially when E told us to put our hands on the blocks on the chairs and we both sort of stared at the blocks and thought, "Well, that looks a bit further away than it used to." The first part wasn't as intense as I'd feared, but I was definitely warmer by the end of the first half, whose motto was: "Do what you can."

For the second half, E propped me up on a bolster on some blocks (about a 40-degree angle, I'd guess) and blankets, wrapping my feet up, propping up my knees, tucking my arms into a blanket and putting a weighted bag on my forehead. I felt almost like a little doll, all wrapped up. I woke myself snoring four times. After the second, meditation half, we sat up (quite slowly) and E read us a little story about the woman anointing Jesus with the costly nard: she did what she could. She didn't make Jesus a five-course meal, she didn't sell the ointment and give to the poor, but she did what she could.

I love E's meditations after each yoga class. Even in the classes with lots of people (and not necessarily Orthodox or even Christian), I know that her teachings are safe and related to the God I know. Then she had us put some lovely-smelling oils on our aching parts (knees for the other lady, ankles for me) and rub them in. It was immensely peaceful, and I'm looking forward to doing that again soon. (We were hoping to do Saturdays, but next week is Lucia's birthday, and then Holy Saturday when we'll all be too busy, but the next one is something to look forward to.

Teddy has been taking these children's magazine activities and getting excited about cutting them out and making a book or playing a card game with them, so I really thrilled him by taking a sheet of paper, folding it, stapling it, and cutting the folds to make a book for him. I asked him to write me a story and illustrate it, so he took one of his favorite Tigger books and dutifully (and beautifully) copied about four or five pages of it, words and pictures and colors. I hope to do more in that regard, inspired by Barbara Shukin's journals. (I wish we'd had more time at her booth, as I don't see the Orthodox or Lenten ones on her website... oh, she has more than one website. Excellent.)

So I took my time about getting to vespers. We were late, coming in the middle of the aposticha, but I hadn't yelled at anyone (I think), and everyone had eaten and gotten dressed. (We won't mention the state of Lucia's hair.) Teddy was a bit frustrated with Lucia not sharing "her" books, but he had patience and, of course, she shared with him once it was up to her and not a demand. She was a very good mommy to her baby doll, making sure that the baby kissed the cross at the end, which made my husband do a double-take. Timmo seemed quite content to stay put, censing or looking at things, especially that fascinating baby Z in the pew just in front of us who made noises occasionally! (I can't wait until he's up and making trouble with my kids, who are pretty much ready to adore him as much as he'll let them.)

I was even able to get everyone out and home mostly by myself! (It took a few trips and lots of persuading, but again, no yelling. This double-header of confession and yoga is seriously excellent.) We went home and I asked who was hungry, thinking maybe one of them, but, no, they all professed to be hungry. I had my doubts, and when Lucia was throwing cereal on the floor for Timmo to eat, I decided she was done. Timmo was done soon afterwards, and I reaffixed the baby gate (grumble, grumble, just did it before we left for vespers), and emptied the dishwasher. Then I went and wrote out a list of all the things I needed to get done with them, and went and attacked it: medicine, vacuum noses, pajamas, teeth, prayers. (No story as there was pee on the floor. Fingers were pointed, baking soda was applied. I will wait to refloor the upstairs until the youngest is well past potty training, but I'm looking forward to it already.) Then started the baby laundry, got myself something to eat, and finished up the transcriptions.

Tomorrow should be interesting, with a special guest at the general assembly to help us move forward productively with our plans to make our parish more accessible and more functional as it should be. Not sure whether I'll be there (sometimes the extra warm body outweighs the rowdiness of tired children, so I'll ask), but then there's the last pan-Orthodox vespers to attend.

Next week Teddy starts soccer, with Daddy helping to coach again. (I promise I didn't volunteer him; he did this all on his own this time!) We may not be able to make all of the practices with evening services (this soccer is twice a week, but cheaper than last summer's program, which makes me glad I looked this one up), but will attempt something regular, at least.

I think as long as I have something to look forward to, and useful things to do, I can be happy. Right now I am tired, but looking forward to things. So very grateful for confession yesterday and yoga today.