A Meditative Christmas

The picture is of Lillian boogeying down at the La Scala Christmas Party.

The most exciting news is that our goats are coming!! We will bring them here the weekend after our vacation. One doe is lactating already, but lost her kid and the other doe is due in February. We are starting to get things ready. The hardest part may be finding hay.

This Christmas has been a joyful low stress one. I have changed in some significant way. I am not so stressed--no longer have a foot long to do list in my head. I am much, much closer to my ideal of living in the moment.

Our sugarless Christmas has been great and I think a big part of my new calmer self. Lillian and I made some kick-butt stevia-sweetened biscotti.

Lillian is finally breaking up the congestion that has been plaguing her and her tonsils for so long. Her tonsils are still huge but I think we are on the road to recovery--thank you zinc and Chinese herbs!!!

Paco's latest lipid panel was incredible--all his numbers were great not just good. He is taking the same high-quality fish oil I am and look at the results!!
total ch--188 to 146
total ldl--98 to 82
total hdl--42 to 46
triglycerides--238-to 90!!

Low sugar much lower carb diet we are all following is helping a lot too.

I am teaching Lillian to meditate. My own mediation practice has deepened with my new-found tranquility (and aided in it of course) and I thought this was something I could share with her. Lillian's personality is much like her mother's, she can be very stubborn and rigid. This leaves her frustrated a lot of the time. I would like to raise her with some of the tools to deal that.
Anyway, I talked her through a mediation before sleeping last week. She loved it and immediately turned over and fell asleep. I have downloaded some podcasts for her too. Meditating has now become the last thing she does each night and often falls asleep during it. Here is a link to a great children's Christmas mediation.
http://www.learnoutloud.com/Podcast-Directory/Self-Development/Prayer-and-Meditation/Meditation-Station-Podcast/18820#

growing

Lillian has suddenly shot up. I measured her and she has gained a 1/2 inch since summer. We went out today and got a new pair of jeans since she only has one pair that is not flood pants. The picture is of her with her first pigtails. As you can see, these just barely qualify. She has been growing her hair so she can have pigtails for 6 months now. I prefer her hair short, but she has her own ideas now.

We are having such a nice and calm holiday season. The La Scala party was last weekend and went very well. We baked 12 dozen cookies and I did not eat a one! Lillian did all the sprinkles, as is tradition. Last year's cookies had mountains of sprinkles and this year's had 3 or 4 carefully placed sprinkles. What a difference a year makes. This is her minimalist year.

After 2 bouts of antibiotics, she still has white blotches on her enormous tonsils. She was home form school on Wednesday, but seems to be feeling good (still white blotches) and will be in school tomorrow. She is on Chinese herbs now and that seems to be helping. We see the naturopath, Dr. Lightstone tomorrow to get the results of her food allergy testing. I hope their is something there that helps.

who's the fairest of them all

Riggy has been found! I called all the places we were in the mall (again) and Riggy was at Bath and Body Works. Lillian was gleeful to have the "real" Riggy back. I will keep the on-order Riggy hidden away for the next time this happens.





Another mall moment: we took Lillian in the Disney store to get her excited about the trip. She quickly found a pepto-bismol pink vanity complete with rollers, brush, comb, etc. She LOVED it. This is exactly the kind of thing I would NEVER buy her. She did not care about anything else in the store as she styled her hair and looked in the mirror. So, I wonder---am I right in denying her something so basically girlie? I am not very girlie myself. It was hard for me to even buy her a baby doll. Once I did, I saw the error of my ways. I know in my heart that surrounding her with over the top pink and lavender plastic toys that teach her being a girl is all bout her appearance are WRONG! ----but what inner yearning and natural desire am I ignoring?





The picture is phase one of construction of our gingerbread house. Lillian is taking a picture to send Nanny and holding Nanny "on the phone" at the same time. I will include the finished product here also.

that time of year

Today we celebrated Paco's Birthday. pretty quietly--none of the fanfare of last year. Lily gave him a bag of animal crackers and I got him a standing double work light that he already loves.

We went out to eat and then to the mall to see Santa. She has been pledging that this is the year she will not be afraid of Santa. The first year she wouldn't go near him. Last year she took a candy cane from him, but just barely. This year's pic speaks for itself.

This video is form a couple of week's ago, but it definitely deserves airtime. Lily is singing " A Bushel and a Peck" which her nanny used to sing to her almost daily.

Today also had a low point. Somewhere in the mall Lillian lost her constant companion "Riggy" short for Rigoberta. Lillian has had this little cloth doll since she was about 6 months old and sleeps with her, takes her to school, and drags her around most every day. We realized when we got home and made some phone calls, but it seems that Riggy is indeed gone. I have already been online and ordered another Riggy from Discount School supply. She took it pretty well, overall.