Good Morning, Family

Photo via Our Labor of Love.

Photo via Jaquilyn Shumate Photography.

I'm up early today. Whispers of spring are here, just outside the window.

The sun breaks through, the sparrows flit and emit their fleeting chirps. I've got the radio on with the kinds of songs I only listen to when I'm alone. 

I've been thinking about family lately. The progression of love. The meaning of the relationships we build, and how we sometimes tell ourselves we don't really need them, and then realize how much we do.

I think of my girls. My bridal party. Grandmothers. Cousins and friends. Mom. Stepmom. The women I've spent my life looking up to, the women who have looked up to me over the years, the women I couldn't be me without. 

All subsequent photos via Jaquilyn Shumate Photography. 

I think of siblings. How precious the bond between a brother and a sister, a sister and her twin, a bond that would be suffering to lose. Stretched so distantly from each other; needed so much. I think about the joy of a phone call with my brother or sister, how hearing about their lives always cheers me up.

Who wants to come visit once spring hits Chicago, eh?

I think too of my husband, my Only, my everything.

I think of friends who are about to get married, to start their own little families. I think of my nephew and how every time I see a new picture, it feels like I've missed years.

Families are precious these days, it seems. Sometimes in the early morning, the house quiet, I think of the family I have and the ones I hope to one day grow in a world of love.

How have you loved your family lately? Any of you out there starting your own little families?

Smart Shopping: Grocery Time

 Photos via Orangette.

Hey all! As part of the Beyond Childhood series, I'd like to offer a few posts on healthy eating and simplifying your work in the kitchen. First up is a guest post from the lovely blogger Marci Gilbert on how to plan ahead for your grocery shopping to make sure you get the most for your money and your time.


Enjoy! And enjoy the calm, peaceful feeling of having your meals ready to go all week. It will give you more time for your yoga or other projects you have going on.

Photo via Trevor Dye of Yogi Uprising.

Marci is totally right about the awesomeness of cooking on the weekend, and then refrigerating or freezing meals ahead of time. I've been doing this lately and it makes life so much easier! You just come home from work and heat up whatever you're having. Easy peasy!

From Marci:


One of my favorite parts of the week is going to the grocery store on Sundays. I try to get all my shopping done for the week in one day, and here are some tips of how I do it. It does involve planning, but not to the extent that I write down five days of dinner menus.
A little background–I only have to feed two people, and my husband eats lunch out, and some dinners out too. When planning and buying, I pay attention to expiration dates or overbuying so things won’t spoil.


How to get your grocery shopping done in one day for one week:
1. Have an old-fashioned list. I keep a list going all the time in the kitchen. Make sure you add things that you run out of right when you run out of it! Jot down new foods to try from things you read. Then at the grocery, stick to your list. It will keep you from overbuying. However, there are some days when I like to browse the aisles and look for new things to try, or produce that is in season.


2. Think about your week. Do you already have plans to eat out? Are you packing your breakfast every morning or will you have time to eat at home? Same with lunch. For me, I always pack breakfast and a snack, and my lunches are similar within a week. Keeping lunches similar keeps your grocery bill down. Buy a bag of cherries one week and then mixed berries the next. Use pantry items to change it up, like buy turkey, and alternate in tuna or beans for salad protein.


3. Get to know your grocery store. The annoying part of wanting certain brands or fresher produce is going to multiple grocery stores. However, I can be in and out of a grocery quickly because I know where things are and what each store may or may not carry.


4. If you go to multiple grocery stores, go to the one that will be cheaper first. By this I mean that I will look for produce at an everyday type store before Whole Foods because I know it will be cheaper. If the quality is poor at Store #1, I’ll get it at Whole Foods.

 Photo via Orangette.

5. Use Costco! (or any big box store). My weekly trips to the grocery are for what we need for the week. We leave our cleaning supplies, some freezer items, dry snacks, and waters to buy in bulk every 6 weeks or so.


6. Plan to make use of your Sunday afternoon. Every Sunday, I hard-boil 6 eggs–to use for breakfast or chopped into tuna salad or on a salad. Sometimes I bake chicken to have for a few days. Sometimes I bake muffins to freeze for breakfast. And then I make dinner for Sunday night with plans to have leftovers for Monday lunch or Monday night. Or if I make chicken, I will use it in a different way during the week.


7. Planning a basic dinner: It doesn’t always have to be about creating a recipe! You just need things on hand to satisfy the carb-protein-vegetable ratio, in my opinion. For instance, sweet potatoes, vegetables to roast (brussels sprouts, broccoli, squash, zucchini, mixed peppers) can always be paired with canned baked beans, 90-second rice, grilled chicken or your protein of choice for a well-rounded meal. I eat more exciting than that a lot of the time, but sometimes that is good enough.

Photo via Emily at JoJoNoodle. She and Jordan are always making beautiful, simple meals.

8. The freezer is for more than ice cream and ice. Use your freezer to store baked goods, then defrost in the refrigerator overnight for breakfast. You can cook soups ahead and defrost before work for dinner that night, and let meats thaw all day. Planning is the hard part. If you make the decisions ahead of time, all that’s left is to execute when you get home at night.


Welcome to the world of extreme wifey-hood! (Or motherhood, womanhood, manhood, adulthood: however you'd like to apply this great knowledge.) May your week night dinners never be the same!


And a big thanks again to Marci for sharing the post. :) Check out more of her recipes here.


PS Want to check out more in the Beyond Childhood series? Try this post on bellies, or this one on adorable handmade toys. Or read more about why I started the series.

Sponsored Yogis Coming Soon!

Photo via Dudes Doing Yoga on Tumblr.

Happy Friday, yogis! I hope you're celebrating the weekend already.

Anyone have any fun Super Bowl plans? Amazing appetizers you're planning to make for friends and family when they come over to watch the game?

The Hubs and I aren't sure of our plans yet, but there very well could be some tasty hot wings involved. And definitely guac. :)

Just wanted to share a little update with you on the Alive in the Fire Yogi Sponsorship 2011 program. I've been receiving all sorts of amazing applications and I can't wait to share the results very soon!

Photo via Dudes Doing Yoga on Tumblr.

I hope to have an announcement for you on Monday. It's going to be a tough decision to say the least!

A big thank you to all of the applicants and to upcoming sponsors. You guys are the best! And I hope that regardless of the results, you've been learning more about your practice and what yoga means to you. That's the whole point of the process, and I hope it's been rewarding.

Photo via FYeahYoga on Tumblr.

In the days and weeks to come, you can expect to see a lot of awesome stuff going on around here at Alive in the Fire. I will be incorporating a ton of new ideas from applicants, including guest posts, some re-design, and the start of a new series or two. (And don't worry, Real Men Do Yoga and Beyond Childhood certainly aren't over! Neither is the Everyday photographer series either.)

The best part? You're going to be getting a lot of quality info about yoga and hearing from some new voices. These sponsored yogis are passionate about their practice. They've got inspiration to share.

They are fiery, fun, and super creative and insightful. I can't wait for you to meet them!

Keep an eye out and get excited. More to come very soon.

PS. In other news, I've written over 300 posts! Eeps, how exciting :) Oh, and keep those followers coming... we're almost to our 100 party!

Photo via FYeahYoga on Tumblr.

The Little Ones

Photo by Anna Rummey of Rummey Bears.

Photo by Tyler Branch.

Today's post is the latest in the Beyond Childhood series, which features conversation about living love, putting your family first, and how to enjoy marriage and parenthood.

Photo (and all photos below) from the Little Sapling Toys shop.

Today I bring you Little Sapling Toys, a lovely Etsy site with all natural and safe infant and toddler toys. 


Shop owners Nick and Kimber would like to offer 10% off any order to all Alive in the Fire readers. Use the coupon code ALIVE10 when checking out (valid until February 14th).


More about the shop:
We all have a hand in design, production, business, or packaging in some way. During those necessary breaks we play hide and seek, eat, bike or jog. On Sundays we go to church, eat and play games together.

Toys: We brought life to the classic wooden teether by offering the widest selection of shapes available. We have designed and produced a solid selection of organic developmental toys and blocks. Our newest endeavor is the land of personalization with Blue, our laser engraver.

Our Philosophy: Here at LST, we are committed to quality toys and a healthy earth. We plant a tree for every toy sold, use FSC Certified hardwoods, recycled content packaging and participate in our local green power program.

Each toy is handmade in our workshop (which is in transition right now between Boise, Utah and Minnesota). We design our toys to help young children develop creativity, pattern recognition and fine motor skills. However, the most important toy any child can have is his or her caregiver. For this reason, our educational toys are most effective with interactive play.

Read more on Little Sapling Toys and keep up with their sales and giveaways on their Facebook page or their main site.


Get shoppin' for your little ones!

Check out this adorable stacking toy. And what a cute picture!

Little Sapling Toys makes a ton of cute teethers, like this guitar.

Or an airplane, if your little guy loves things that go.

In the Beyond Childhood Series: Bellies!

Photo via Rummey Bears, one of my favorites. Mama Bear (Anna Rummey) is a wonderful mom. She posts about Baby Bear all the time and used to feature gorgeous belly shots like this one during her pregnancy. She absolutely glows, don't you think?!

I saw a pregnant lady practicing in the cool corner last night at yoga. There was this shuffle of mats at the beginning of class, so that she could be sure she was in the right spot in the room. (Our studio owner keeps one spot a bit colder so it's easier to manage when you've got a babe on the way.)


Meanwhile, over in the most hot and humid corner of the room, I was melting. Literally. Already a puddle on my mat. It was great.


After class, I noticed that the pregnant lady was hardly pregnant -- she wasn't showing yet at all, no belly there yet. She was glowing, though. Stuart, the studio owner, checked in with her to see how she was feeling. "Better?" he asked. She nodded with a big smile.

It made me wonder: what's it like to experience a Bikram class when you're pregnant? I wonder if the heat and humidity and intensity is almost too much. I imagine it can be a very helpful meditation, though.


I've also heard about moms who experience their baby kicking during the postures.


Now that's meditation, to feel that very flutter of life within you, and still stay in the pose!


Anyway, just wanted to send some love out to all the moms who choose to practice. I know some doctors are pretty wary of hot yoga -- especially during the first trimester -- and you do want to be really careful in class if you've got a little one on the way. As long as you've been practicing consistently for a while, though, you should be all set to continue with your yoga.


The entire Bikram series is slightly altered when you're expecting, too. You do the pregnancy class, not the regular series. (You can buy a DVD of Rajashree Choudhury doing the series if you like!)


If you're practicing at a studio, be sure to check in with your teacher before class just so they know to keep an eye on you. Then follow the pregnancy series guide (not the exact dialogue) and rock your yoga!


Moms who Bikram, you are awesome. I commend you for your hard work and hope to one day join the ranks of ladies who bring their bellies to class. I imagine too that with your meditation, patience and compassion, parenting will be a piece of cake! :)

Photo via Rummey Bears. Isn't Anna a gorgeous mom? She rocks the belly if you ask me.

Are you expecting? Practicing too? I'd love to hear from you about your experience! Leave a comment below or email aliveinthefire at gmail dot com. Namaste and congrats to you and your growing family!

Marriage on the Mind

Noah + Courtney Love Story//Same Day Premiere from AQUA VIVUS on Vimeo.

So yesterday I posted about this lovely ranch wedding, and then today I went back to the post on Sloan Photography and realized there was this amazing video to watch!

The interview is fantastic. Noah and Courtney tell their adorable and sometimes whimsical love story for about the first eight minutes, and then the rest is footage from their wedding day. I was totally moved, and couldn't stop smiling as I watched them together. He reminds me of Ryan Gosling and she has a natural beauty and effortlessness that is captivating. And you can tell from the video that they are made for each other.

It's great to see real couples who have a strong sense of why they are meant to be together, and how fully they want to spend their lives together. I love their thoughts on trust, caring for each other, and growing old together :)

I've also been reading Simple Marriage lately, a blog on ways to survive the ups and downs of marriage, how to keep things happy and healthy, and just fun ideas for dates with your spouse, or ways to get a break from the humdrum of everyday life.

I especially love their post on planned spontaneity, which you will totally appreciate if you are married! Sounds silly, but sometimes we have to schedule time with our spouse (and it rewards us greatly!).

There's also some great reading on setting reasonable goals together as a couple, what to do if things aren't great and you're just coexisting, and how to give a genuine apology.

Have you considered your relationships lately? Maybe you're doing your yoga and you've set personal health goals for the year, but haven't had the courage to look at where you are in relationship to others.

What can you give?

What can you let go of?

What haven't you addressed because it's hard, or holding you back?

Go ahead: decide to be together and to love each other better than you have been. You deserve it, and your partner does too. Sometimes change isn't easy, and sometimes love hurts. But with time and patience, we can change the way we relate to each other and treat each other.

You are in control of your relationships. Decide to love.

Be together; love each other. Photo via Yoganomics, an awesome online yoga community.

Which Reminds Me

Oh, if I could I would attend this awesome seminar on photography at Alt Summit.

My recent post on kiddos in the blogosphere reminded me of an awesome conference coming up this month in Salt Lake City, UT that I wish I could attend.

Every time I look over at the Alt Summit website, I drool a little bit. All of the seminars look so fascinating! What a fun way to learn new creative processes and connect with other bloggers.

Alt says about themselves: "Altitude Design Summit is the next cool thing. A conference for design-minded folks — bloggers, lifestyle sites and the companies that want to connect with them."

Are any of you lovely readers planning to attend?

If you are, you need to get to Rachel Devine and Ryan Marshall's seminar on photography (called "Getting It Right in Your Camera"), held on Thursday, January 20. Looks fantastic!

The details on Getting it Right in Your Camera (January 20, 10:30-11:30 am):
This photography panel promises brainy discussions, advice and sweet reminders (remove that lens cap, please!). Topics to be covered: Lens selection, raw vs. jpeg, sharpening your focus, white balance, using external light, pushing your ISO, being bold with your flash, aperture, shallow depth of field, and getting the most from your camera. Panelists:Ryan Marshall, Rachel Devine.

Self-portrait by Ryan Marshall of Pacing the Panic Room.

Ryan Marshall is the genius behind Pacing the Panic Room, an awesome blog about raising a family, being a dad, and documenting pregnancy. I recently posted about him here.

 

The Marshall family is a beautiful one. Meet Cole, the Littlest Buddy, and Tessa Tangerine.

Rachel Devine is a talented photographer who runs her own business and blogs about it and her three cute kids. Talk about a lady who can balance it all! She's got a super creative eye for those moments you never want to forget, like when the kids are bouncing around on the couch, looking cute in their Christmas Eve pajamas.

Self-portrait by Rachel Devine.

Photo by Rachel Devine.

You can also connect with Alt on Facebook and Twitter. Keep me posted if you attend the conference, lucky ones!

Kiddos in the Blogosphere

Photo by the talented Rachel Devine.

Are you a new mama looking for inspiration to decorate your babe's nursery? Or a dad desperately seeking to read about the adventures of a guy who's honest about parenting and how tough it can be?


Next up in the Beyond Childhood series, I bring you a roundup of great blogs for the family-oriented. Enjoy!

 Photos by Joanna Goddard of A Cup Of Jo.

A Cup of Jo: Joanna Goddard's posts about her baby Toby and all things maternity are super inspiring and authentic, plus she posts all sorts of wonderfulness on fashion, beauty and travel.

 Photos by Joanna Goddard of A Cup Of Jo.

Kelle Hampton: a mom with a heart of gold, Kelle's posts are heartfelt and include lovely photos. I recommend reading the birth story she wrote about her daughter Nella, who has Down's Syndrome. (It brought a tear to my eye.) And oh man, look at this earthy belly!

Photos by Kelle Hampton. 

Pacing the Panic Room: Ryan's one of the few honest blog dads I know who never ceases to amaze me with his profound words and beautiful photos. He documents the life of his charming wife, Cole, and their two little ones, Tessa Tangerine and the Littlest Buddy. Pacing the Panic Room featured an amazing series called Do Fun Stuff to benefit SMS by selling a fantastic benefit album. Buy it for your kiddos, and dance together! And if you missed Cole's pregnancy series or the Walk to 40 Weeks, get to it. Those photos are beyond rad.

 Photos by Ryan at Pacing the Panic Room.

 Photo illustrations by Ryan at Pacing the Panic Room.

Rummey Bears: Meet Mama Bear, Papa Bear and Baby Bear, some of the cutest people on the planet. Enjoy reading about their beautiful life in Australia, and all the fun design, photo, surfing, and family adventuring they do together. PS: Baby Bear will melt your heart. She is one of the cutest babes out there! Plus, the Rummeys had a very lovely DIY wedding you should check out.

Photos by Anna Rummey of Rummey Bears. 

Lena Corwin: Lena runs the lovely Wee Textile, a shop you should definitely check out if you love handcrafted baby wear. She carries the cutest sweaters you'll ever find! On the blog, she documents preparing for her babe and all the pretty things she's making for him. Plus, she has an awesome eye for design and one of the most rad closets around.

Photos by Lena Corwin of Wee Textile. 

Mila's Daydreams: Last but certainly not least, a wonderfully imaginative blog that will make you laugh and swoon over a mom's lovely dreamscapes she creates for her babe while she naps. That Christmas one had me smiling at first sight! Adele is going to be releasing a book with all of the lovely photos of Mila's dreams soon. Keep an eye on her blog for the info and in the meantime, watch the breathtaking video Mom and Dad made together about their beautiful  little girl.

Photos by Adele Enersen of Milas Daydreams.