Friday the 13th

Hey guys, happy Friday the 13th! Do you believe that this date is unlucky? We moved to New York on Friday the 13th, so I would have to say I believe it, haha. So far today, no major mishaps...knock on wood.

Wednesday night at yoga, I had an instructor who was very serene, soft-spoken, and encouraging. I love those instructors. (Most seem to fit that description, but I've encountered the occasional drill sergeant type, too!)  At one point, we were holding a pose for a long time, and she said, "Some of you are probably wondering right now, what am I doing? Am I doing this right? And the answer is...you're doing what you're supposed to be doing, and you're doing everything right."

Normally, I might chuckle to myself at such stereotypical yoga-spiritual-goddess-talk. But at that moment, it felt like I was meant to be in that class and hear those words. I even teared up a little. Because lately I seem to spend a lot of time worrying that I don't know what I'm doing, and maybe I am doing everything wrong. Not in yoga class, in life.

But of course, Thursday morning, my newly acquired yoga zen went out the window when I burned my arm while making tea. Next, it started storming. I had planned on taking the kids to an outdoor nursery to get some plants, but now we were stuck inside. I absent-mindedly left some windows open upstairs, and the floor and rugs got wet. Jackson got cabin fever and poured his milk in the toybox. Then he hit Olivia, and she wouldn't let me put her down for the rest of the morning. Fun.

For lunch, I made this salad.

It's Baby Spinach Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette, Sarah Kramer's May recipe from her 2011 calendar. After I made the dressing, I realized I didn't have enough baby spinach, so I had to throw in a bunch of browning, wilted iceberg lettuce that was lurking in the fridge. And that familiar feeling crept over me. You're not doing anything right, you can't even make a stupid salad. 

But my next thought was, "Well, you hate wasting food, and now you don't have to throw away that lettuce. So that's a plus." And you know, the salad still tasted pretty darn good, iceberg and all. 

And the rain eventually stopped, and in the afternoon I went and got my plants.

This is my little starter garden - cherry tomato, jalapeno pepper, hot cherry pepper, strawberry, basil, lavender, and rosemary. I tried to garden once before, a couple years ago, but I didn't get enough sunlight on my patio and my tomato plant died. So I'm nervous about subjecting these innocent plants to my maybe-not-so-green thumb. But the dude at the garden center guessed that the lack of sunlight was probably the problem last time, not me.

So maybe I don't suck at everything. It's possible. We'll see how our new plant friends do.

In the end, the day wasn't a total wash. Last night was free admission night at a bunch of museums and galleries downtown. We took the babies for a stroll and checked out a couple of places. First we hit the Austin Museum of Art. They had an exhibit featuring several upcoming local artists. Debra Broz's ceramic animals were my instant favorite. So cute, yet so creepy.

(image source)

Next we hit up the Mexic-Arte Museum. They put on a Dia de los Muertos parade every year that is super fun, but I had never been inside the actual museum. It was neat, too. And free! A fun, relaxing evening, and all we had to pay for was parking.

Today might be Friday the 13th, but it's going better than yesterday. I successfully got Jackson down for a nap (he's been skipping naps, which makes him super cranky and wild). The weather is nice, so later we can play outside and go for a walk and stave off the dreaded cabin fever. And there are other things that have been bothering me that I am trying to let go. Sorry, yoga teacher, I am never going to do everything right. But at least for now I feel like I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing.

Hope you have a good weekend!