My Best Friend, Karla, My Twin

This pic (Karla, Tina, Imari - Karla's Daughter)
I got the best surprise of my life last Wed at 11pm...my best friend in the entire world's brother, Abe, asked if he could stop by for a minute on his way to a business meeting. (He was driving up the night before the meeting to stay over for the morning meeting.) I said ok, but was a bit annoyed and tired at this hour. I had just got the girls to bed, Isabella was still up in her bed, but I was relaxing and only had my feet up for 2 minutes, when Abe said I'll be there in 5 minutes! I said, FINE!! He came by, Alan let him in, he came up to get me then forced us to come out to his car...I was complaining all the way, "why do we have to come out..." Well, he asked me to open the front passenger door and out jumped Karla and Imari all the way from Chicago! I was so stunned, I didn't know what to do. I'm happy I didn't faint or pee, but I was so happy I couldn't even breathe or speak for few minutes! I immediately said, "I normally don't love surprises, but I LOVE this one!" I didn't even totally realize how much I needed to see Karla at that time. She is an amazing wonderful influence in my life, she is part of my heart and I adore her and really needed to see her and there she was. I told Alan to immediately go get Isabella and she was shocked too! I said, "Mommy had no idea they were coming, it was all a big surpirse." Anyway, we had such an amazing time...almost a week together. I haven't laughed so much in a long time. We hugged and kissed every chance we got...we were like a "couple" but we didn't care! We are so in love as friends! I feel renewed and will continue put my intentions on the fact that Karla must live here! She wants to move here just as badly as well all want them here. Karla and I have been best friends since high school/beauty school. We have had our moments like any friendship has ups and downs, but we had a really big falling/fight out right before Alan's and my wedding. We "broke" up for 3 months...it was a misunderstanding and a fight that took place 2300 miles apart from each other, but nonetheless, it seemed that our friendship could be over forever. After 3 long months, Karla called me and I don't exactly remember the details, but we made up and I can say looking back, whatever it was we thought we were so upset about, it would have been a shame to lose such an amazing friendship. We are mommies now and wives and still best friends and we have an energy around us when we're together that can take over the world! I am so so grateful everyday for our friendship and sisterhood with this woman who is like my fraternal twin...we are the same in so many ways yet a bit different too! Also, I thought of how I felt about Abe, I was so tired from my day, and never, which I am not proud of, thought that something amazing could be happening, I was just thinking why is he here! He is so annoying!!! I am so grateful that he brought Karla and Imari and Giancarlo to us! I am sad that didn't seem more appreciative at the time but I was so confused as to why he was so pushy! :)
We had so much fun, we stayed up late every night we were together, even Giancarlo and Isabella stayed up late. We wanted to take in every second we had together. Our girls, Isabella and Gabrielle were in heaven and has so much fun with Aunty Karla and Imari (Gabi called her, "I") and Giancarlo. Alan came almost everywhere with us...he is amazing! When they showed up we said there are very few people you would be willing to stop the world for, blow up mattresses and open your home fully to! Friends like this are hard to come by. I can't wait to see them all again really soon. I am proud that we have kept this relationship going for 18 years now and the last 14 years have been via long distance. We talk almost everyday and always always think of each other!

Our 1st attempt at Yoga for my daughters!

So 2 days ago I Googled a place to take my girls to try their first Yoga class. I found an amazing place in Tarzana, CA called, CosmiKids! It sure sounded like the most wonderful environment where our girls could learn about some of the amazing spiritual experiences of Yoga, etc. It is a place where they will be nurtured, and respected and it sounded like a dream...that was until we showed up and Isabella saw an actual costumed bear from the Angel Bear Yoga class! We stood outside and she was screaming and crying as if she had been hurt or something horrible. I immediately got a sinking feeling in my tummy, wondering if I just scarred her or something by taking her to this wonderful place and scaring the you know what out of her! Luckily, Alan/Daddy was with us planning on working on his laptop from the car, and he took her in the car with him. It was not what I expected, but I know there must be a reason that this day didn't work out. We look forward to trying again in the future, but were really surprised to say the least. I tried very hard to tell her that Mommy really didn't know there would be a bear and if I knew we wouldn't have gone there. Isabella said, "Mommy you know I don't like costumes, here or at Disneyland or anywhere, and I'm not trick or treating either!"

A "Love Time Out"

Lately, every time I am thinking something or explaining it to my husband, I have a hard time selling him on my ideas, because he doesn't read about disciplining the kids and I just get these messages from my heart. I don't have proof...well, lately, I somehow find something written that seems similar to what I am saying and thinking...I have been trying to explain this concept to my husband and to myself about discipline...that our kids need discipline if they are hurting another or being mean. If they are being sad, or crying or feeling left out or angry on their own, and they have a "tantrum" they need LOVE. I have said, it's hard to give love when they are screaming and yelling and inconsolable, but this is when they need it most. I believe when they cry and yell and act irrational...

!!!!! WAIT, I have to pause, Isabella is right now having a tantrum!!!! How ironic, I am typing about it and it's happening!!! Ok, I'm back...

So I was saying that when they get crazy they need love, they need us to teach them how to calm down, breathe, and relax and explain what they are feeling. I have been sitting with Isabella during her "tantrums" and hugging her, talking to her, or just petting her legs, til she calms down. I have called this a "LOVE TIME OUT" I tell her that her heart needs love and when she freaks out like this it is not good for her body. She shakes, yells, screams, cries, etc. She can't calm down. I have always felt it's my job to help her learn. I tell her to breathe, take a few breaths, I call them Yoga Breaths, and try to calm down. Try to tell me what's upsetting her and see how we can create a solution together. I am grateful that I can be home with my girls and have the time to teach them and learn from them. It does take an enormous amount of time and patience. Sometimes, it doesn't help but I sing to her to distract her...not something beautiful, I sing a hit from the 70's...it goes like this...AAHH FREAKOUT, YEAH, SHE'S A SUPERFREAK, SHE'S SUPERFREAKY....I know this is not appreciated, but sometimes it makes her laugh.

Anyway, today, and everyday I am expanding my world of knowledge and found this article talking about this very thing: http://www.inspiredparentingmagazine.com/articles/shomphe_lori/article1.html
It may not be for everyone, but it was great for me to hear that someone else has found this method to be beneficial for their family.

She's only 4, right? She didn't hear what we said....yeah right!

When I first started showing Isabella, our oldest, our most favorite Disney movies and classics, we had a blast...We enjoyed them so much and since Alan is so into animation and character design, we all love having these movies on. The music and characters are amazing! Then, Isabella started talking...she also, ironically, started listening, repeating, and soon after asking questions. Up until now, I guess I was watching these movies "unconsciously" and not noticing their language or actions. Once I began seeing it through the eyes of my 4 year old, I started really hearing it and hearing her "take" on it. First, they have some really mean characters. Not just scary, but mean. They use words that I have vowed to "watch" and try not to use in our lives ie. idiot, stupid, hate, etc. Also, they have running themes that I'm not sure anyone really thinks about unless you are writing a paper on the film. Well, Isabella started to notice a running theme and asked me one day, "Mommy, why don't many of the Disney Princesses have mommies??" She also noticed this in Shirley Temple movies. I was really shocked that she noticed and also wasn't sure what to tell her, were they working, dead, not home, shopping??? I didn't know what to say at that moment...

Now, once my brother asked me when I began monitoring and moderating people's speech in front of my girls, "When did you become such a priest?" meaning he has heard me use this same language, but now all of a sudden it seemed unacceptable...I said, the day I got pregnant and then gave birth! I felt I would love to have them surrounded by only love and teach them a way to speak that would make them feel good. I know I can't moderate everything, but at least I could ask this of our families...It's amazing, I mean our children are truly more aware than some of us even at 4 and I was pleased to see she was actually thinking and not just in a tv "coma", however, it has made me much more conscious of what we do let them watch. So I have added tv to our list of "things to be more aware of" and now we try to let her watch things that would inspire her, educate her and best of all make her and her sister feel great! (at least when possible)

Magical Awakening!

This summer Alan and I and Ultimate Arcade.com, produced, created, and launched our very first Spiritual Flash Game, Magical Awakening! It stars a character named, Randall, which is named after one of our very best, most amazing, special, spiritual, funny, and loving friends, Randy Olsen. It's a game about the distractions in our lives and how hard it is in today's society to find even 30 seconds to sit still and think, meditate, relax, and appreciate. It's really fun and we're very proud of it.

Groceries in 2008, almost an Olympic event!

Ok, so I wrote a list, for almost the first time in my life, we are trying to "be on a budget" and wanted to keep our cost down while shopping and only buy what we really, really need...first, it took 2 hours for Alan (my hubby) and I to shop at Whole Foods! We had fun though, ate pizza there and ran into Uncle Steve. Choosing what to buy, healthy food, healthy products without chemicals, etc. is not an easy task. I envy Alan as he plays on his iPhone patiently waiting for me to read a million items...Reading the labels, deciding on new brands, watching prices, this is exhausting. I just had no idea how much work it would be to be the one in charge of what products and foods my family uses. I spend time reading that my food and household products are missing tons of ingredients that they say are dangerous, but, let me get this straight, less ingredients, more MONEY! I have never learned, and I did get a college degree, what exactly is a GMO! But I'm glad my girl's ducky crackers don't have it! (I think!)

Who am I?

I first heard this while watching, The Breakfast Club when I was younger..."Who am I? Who am I? I’m the Walrus..."

Using this blog, I intend to figure out who I am by journaling my thoughts and emotions. I have been trying for most of my life to figure people out, analyze situations, and hope for people to change, instead I now turn inward to work on changing myself. I know now that I create my destiny...