i am bliss-blessin' & manifestin' for single mama community, love, & yoga interconnection, in boulder & beyond this 2012!!!

Disclaimer: sleepy, sleepy mama alert, please forgive all typos and sillyness;)

After realizing I have about five different names for my blog and for this project listed throughout my postings I wanted to make it loud and clear that the official name for my blog is "Nourished Mama." The official name for this project is "The Free Yoga for Single Mamas Project , Boulder." We are not yet affiliated with "Yoga for Single Mothers, Boston," but someday soon I hope to be part of their enfolding non-profit organization. In fact, I spoke with Chanel Luck, the Founder of Yoga for Single Mothers, about her organization's plans and overall vision earlier today. And I was pleasantly surprised and elated to hear she also wants to include a community dinner as part of the program! Great big hearts dream alike!

Imagine this... it's Friday, you just get out of work, and you go pick up the kids.  You are feeling really drained from a long week, both at work and at home. You swing by home, walk the dog, feed the cat, change into your comfy clothes, & head on over to some cool location (I have yet to find) for a yoga class! You drop your kids off at this beautiful childcare room, under the care of a couple friendly mamas. Your wee ones are super stoked about playing, dancing, and practicing yoga with other wee ones of all ages. At the class, you are surrounded by single mamas who totally understand why you have food stains on your clothes & why you let out a huge heavy sigh as you collapse onto your mat. You melt into the poses, releasing all the built up tension and stored emotions of your week. You breathe deeply, your mind expands - you finally have an hour all to yourself! This hour feels like an eternity, as if times stops just for you, as you become completely embodied and comfy in your own skin again. By the end of the class you are feeling restored, replenished, recharged & ready to eat! You meet your content (yet wiped out:) kids at the community dinner table and share a healthy, delicious meal with the other blissed-out, relaxed single mamas and their kids, like one big, happy unconventional family! You chat. connect. make friends. learn. relate. exchange numbers. make plans. build community. You feel less isolated. You feel more connected. inspired. empowered. grateful. appreciated. Nourished. By the end of evening you are one happy mama with a smile in your heart chakra, a twinkle in your solar plexus, and a hop in your when transitioning into your next yoga pose! .. and best of all it won't cost ya a single, pretty penny! How does that sound?

So I have to confess that this project will not be started by the New Year as planned. My lamo excuses are...babby-daddy drama, the holy-days, heading back to school, job searching, the crazyness of single mamahood, and the moving process! I was accepted into a Family Self-Sufficiency Program, so I am moving into one of their units in Boulder. If you have not heard of this program, please check it out. The wait list for Boulder County is currently closed, but it will reopen again so keep on checking. There are similar programs throughout the U.S. This five year program aids low-income families in accomplishing their career goals, with the long-term goal being that of home ownership. They provide affordable housing, a supportive caseworker (I am viewing this as my motivational coach!), parenting and budgeting classes, and this part is just amazing - all my rent money will be returned to me at the end of the program to be used as a down payment on my home (and my vision of total family self-sufficiency - off the grid style - earthship/yurt/hobbithouse dwelling!)

Back to the project...it will happen. I am still totally dedicated to The Yoga for Single Mamas Project! It is just taking a bit more time than I thought to put all the pieces together. In the mean time nourish thy self always. Please make the mama-time mamas. You take care of everything, so don't forget to take care of your radiant self and creative spirit. Mini-retreats everyday for even ten minutes can make a significant impact on your quality of your life and lower your stress levels. Happy mamas = happy kids = happy mamas and so forth. More to come soon on "DIY Nourishment for Your Radiant Self & Creative Spirit in Ten Minutes or Less!!!"

From my infinite mama-heart, full of dreams, much love, & enduring patience, to yours,

Val