Guess who was in Glasgow. . .

Gwen Stefani! Yep. I guess she was on tour here and brought her one year old boy to the Botanic Gardens. I can walk to the gardens! My friend Maddy told me at church last week.

I remember when she did a remake of the Fiddler on the Roof song "If I were a rich girl" and it was really popular. I loved the video. My friend Nikki needs to be her for Halloween if she hasn't already--she even dances like her.

I can't believe Halloween is almost here. . . what will we be?

Crying and Paula Abdul

The other day I was chatting with Jason about this and that while Soren was in the kitchen playing with his food. I was in the middle of saying something about going somewhere and Soren yelled from the kitchen "don't go mom!". I told him I wasn't going anywhere and he was quickly contented. He has always had such amazing, keen hearing and I was really touched by how cute he is and I started to tell Jason how I was so happy I could cry. Just then Soren shouted "don't cry mom" --again surprising me with his excellent hearing-- which led to a conversation about how sometimes we cry if we're happy.

I remember when my nephew Atlas was about 4 or 5 years old and his brother Leif was born. He was saying with so much exuberance and emotion "I have a brother" and I knew he was feeling something special. We talked about it for a minute and I asked if he was going to cry or if he needed to and he said "I'm so happy I could cry my head off!"--I love that story with his pure honesty and joy.

. . . one more thought on crying and this next story is meant for laughs

I'm much more of a crier since I've become a mom. It isn't always because I'm overwhelmed with joy but it's a bit of both good and bad times and some of it is totally unexplained. I think I'm a bit crazy as I chuckle to myself. (Disclaimer: this may not be funny to you so you can stop reading now but maybe this disclaimer has sparked your interest more. Read at your own risk.) For example, a while back Jason and I were on a walk and I was singing the words to the Paula Abdul song "opposites attract" when Jason started in and sang "it ain't fiction just a natural fact, we go together 'cause opposites attract. . ." I was sure it didn't go that way. After all, I did do a dance to it in the 7th or 8th grade. I went on to say that it went like this-- "it ain't fiction just a natural 'thing'". Jason thought that was funny and made it rhyme with the word "thing" by singing "it ain't fiction just a natural thing, we go together 'cause opposites attring. . ." I started laughing because I realized I was wrong and his rhyme was funny. . . and then laughing really hard. Then, I started laughing and crying but couldn't stop crying--for a good while. Jason was a bit bewildered but he knows me and hugged me and wasn't sure what was happening. I still don't know what happened but I guess I needed to cry. That's one for the Twilight Zone.

Enjoy video! . . .it all started with Paula.

PS. That video had such appeal-- she's in love with a naughty cartoon but she can dance! Soren thinks it's pretty neat and I'm sure it has something to do with the cat. . . the eighties. . .so fun and embarrassingly awesome.

La Musica

Jason just got our playlist going. We still need to tweak it but ENJOY!! I hope there is something for everyone. It's a little bit Jason, a wee bit Cammie and a tiny bit crazy.

Deep Thoughts by Soren Monson

"Trust it with a chicken suit."

I belong in Paris

You Belong in Paris

Stylish and expressive, you were meant for Paris. The art, the fashion! Whether you're enjoying the cafe life or a beautiful park... You'll love living in the most chic place on earth.

What City Do You Belong In?

PS. Thanks for the link Michelle :0).

Memoirs of a Hippie Childhood: Part of Part 1

The other day I was struggling to find a fun snack/treat for Soren and we were due for a trip to the market. So I thought about the things we had that he enjoys and remembered something my mom used to do for me and "Ecco" he was happily eating his healthy treat which consisted of a small bowl of peanut butter mixed with honey. He was so pleased and it was just enough protein and sweetness to tide him over.

Growing up there was something unmistakably hippie about my mom behind her snazzy bright Nordstom shoes for which I am very grateful. We used to find our way to this really great hole-in-the-wall health food store called "Rocky Peaks" for natural fig bars, carob chips, and other fun earth mama stuff.

In Fallbrook, our home town, we were blessed with lovely land filled with fruit trees galore--avocados, peaches, plums, tangerines, apples, oranges, kumquats, and more. Some mornings our mom sliced peaches, put some raw oats over them and topped it with some milk and we all enjoyed it. A real treat was banana milk shakes (sometimes with chocolate) and then sprinkled with Bee Pollen! She was always finding ways to add good stuff into our meals in creative ways.

It's fun t0 see how my sisters and brother and I have all carried out this legacy in our homes in different ways and have found other ways to add to the pot of health. Soren loves many of the same things that I did growing up.

My dad was and still is a real outdoors man with a great love of the natural as well. We raised chickens and ducks and enjoyed fresh chicken eggs for cooking. Sometimes it was a bit tricky getting the eggs! Camping in the Sierra's was a tradition and fishing was always part of the regimen. Fresh fish is simply the best and we had lots of it.

I have this image in my mind of my sister Charla at about 5 years old with a yellow night gown (I think she was on a swing) and her long honey brown hair is blowing in the wind. It captures our lively natural upbringing and the love we had for playing outside. Bridget was my leader and I tagged along faithfully. Her bright blonde hair always attracted attention and she had a confidence that lead to many adventures on bikes into the Fallbrook hills. Francie was the eldest of the girls, who was filled with fabulous, crazy, fun games and role playing that we loved. She was ultra cool and I was always proud to show her off. Wally, the eldest of us all, was into skate boarding and surfing and survived with so much girlishness in the house. He even taught me to skateboard and I'm still proud of the fact that I can!

And Here They Are!

I told Jason about the berries today and so before dinner he took Soren out and they gathered a big beautiful bunch of them! Guess what we're having for breakfast tomorrow with Greek yogurt? I'm going to make smoothies!

Blackberries Gone Wild

We live in the city and there are 2 ways to get to the shopping area--a busy way with old buildings and traffic and the back way filled with green grass, some trees and a little trail that leads us to the Kelvin river and eventually to town. I usually choose the later and enjoy letting Soren walk outside the stroller with safe, natural surroundings. About a week ago my friend Laura and her daughter Sofia came home with us and on the way she pointed out some lovely wild blackberries. We had so much fun picking them and eating them again and again. It's funny how I've walked that path many times and never noticed they were there.

Today Soren and I treated ourselves again to these lovely gifts from nature. There is something so satisfying about being able to pick fruit and eat it practically off the vine! I wore one of my favorite sweaters and that wasn't such a great idea with all of the prickly vines waiting to grab me, Soren and my sweater but we didn't let that stop us. I just couldn't pick them fast enough for Soren to eat them.

Here is the evidence. His little hands were so darling and purple too! I just love the colors that come from nature! Can you believe it all starts with some little seeds?

PS. I just found a twig in my hair. Awesome.

Delle Foto: Part Two

Here are some of the professional photos of the last job I did (these photos have a bit of a better quality than the first ones). The idea was to keep the shapes in the same place while creating body shaping around them. Kind of tricky at times but a good challenge.

I'm busy dancing again after a nice break in August and I'm so excited about this next piece that will be performed at this art venue called thearches. It will be performed in 2 weeks and my dad may be coming to visit at the same time. The choreographer is working with 4 musicians and an artists that specializes in mobiles. I'm really excited about that b/c I love mobiles and the delicate balance involved. The dance will address the nature of disaster and the areas between that and stillness. Soren and I will also be performing "Mother May I" again at the beginning of October with a great choreographer --Natasha Gilmore. This is the piece about the state of asylume seekers and refugees in Glasgow and their struggles. It is nice to revisit it and already know the material and just tidy it up and make the changes needed.

The next two weeks are going to be BUSY and I also start teaching my dance classes. I'll be breathing well in October. . . and Soren has this nighttime cough and it's wearing on us and we both got sore throats (Jason and I). He is mostly fine during the day but wakes at night coughing. Today he had some wonderful, all good, vegetable soup that Jason made. In fact, we all ate it. I'm going to call it the "Use all the Vegetables You Have in the House Soup" and it is so great for when you are feeling under the weather and need to get well soon (it is basically a Minestrone). Works every time. I promise.






But we are hanging in there. The photos above are of Soren feeding the Scart Cat--something he thought up and it has become a family favorite.

Tai Chi in the Park

Well, we were in the park so the second half of the title is true. That was Jason's remark after seeing the photo.