Libra with Scorpio dressing

Sunday, December 29, 2013, I glanced at the horoscopes, and both of mine rang true.  What do I mean by both?  Well honestly, I usually just find them an interesting read, I do not feel controlled by my "fate."  We have freedom to choose which path to take, and maybe this can be one of them.  I also believe that everything is connected, so maybe there are traces of our personalities and there are some truths, but what is amazing about life is that we can bloom, transform, grow, learn, its all up to each individual.

I was born on October 11, 1972, that year on the Solar calendar I was a Libra, but by the Jewish Lunar calendar I was a Scorpio, and it makes total sense to me.  I love the Scorpio loyalty and intensity, but also relate to the love of beauty and balance of a Libra.

I didn't know my Jewish birthday until recently, and someone told me its like being a Libra with Scorpio dressing which is a great description of me.  I like to look at both horoscopes, and this one was exactly what I needed to hear at this point, right before the New Year, so many ideas in my head, knowing my worth and my talent, but not knowing exactly in which direction to go to spread my energy.

So my Libra one is telling me that everyone needs what I got, and tell everyone to tell their everyone, love that!  The Scorpio one tells me to keep blooming, but stay rooted in my core, amazing.

Things that could hold true for anyone at anytime in their life, but for me, now, it is exactly what I am so excited to hear.

I wish everyone a year of happiness, health, success, love, and all of their dreams and visions to come true!

From my family to yours,
Happy New Year,
Coach Yulia

It's Quiet, Now What?

Hey busy people, do you find yourself saying this sometimes?  Whether you are a parent or not, you finally get a moment, and there is so much to do, or not to do, and it is challenging to decide where to begin.

I don't know what to do first, my baby is sleeping, my kids are at school, the house is quiet, so blogging is my first choice, after I do this then I can get to the house, and once my baby wakes up we can have lunch, I will put on some music, and continue to clean and organize, which was my plan for the day.


I had a few things lined up, and they got rescheduled, so I took my baby to a fun mommy and me, Babyccino, if you live in Pico or La Brea areas and want to know more, please get in touch, so much fun.

He fell asleep once we got home, I helped my husband gather a few things he needed for his day, now its time to jump into it.  It is nice to have time and a day to do all this stuff, especially that it is almost the New Year, and with everything new, like Spring cleaning, Passover cleaning, and other New Year celebrations, it feels nice to start off with less clutter.

There are just so many papers from my life, so many memories, and to organize them is a big job, but at least I can put all that together, and all the current stuff together, just organize what I have to organize, LOL.

All Good,
First World Problems,
Excited for my strength and lean workout tonight,
Getting it in,
Opening up myself to success overflowing in the New Year,
New Friendships,
New Sponsorships,
New Projects,
New Conversations,
Excited to keep having fun with my kids,
I always told my father I would have fun in everything I do,
and I do,
Coach Yulia

Dinosaur Heaven

I love social media, it is funny how I feel so connected to everything and everyone, and do not feel like it takes over my life.  As a busy mom I do not have the luxury of coffee dates and going out at night, nor do I really have the energy, time, or desire.  I feel so blessed to have amazing connections with so many different moms, and now moms are just sharing with moms because they have something to share, and they don't want it to go to waste, I totally scored.  A mom was giving away four tickets to some dinosaur event, I had no clue what it was, but was excited because my kids love dinosaurs, and they were free!

I was reading a little bit about it online, it was at the Pasadena Convention Center, the last day is tomorrow.  It was talking about robotic dinosaurs, and I envisioned it being a little scary, but interesting, and was just going to go with the flow.

We walk into a room full of a million bounce houses, all dinosaur themed, some for big kids, some for babies, even a miniature golf course bounce house.  I was in heaven and so were the kids, all three of them had a blast and got good tired.  There was an area where they had electronic life size dinosaurs, but it wasn't scary, it was fascinating and realistic.  My daughter even got to ride one, she is so fearless.  We went to a birthday party earlier that day where she got a face painting that in the picture below makes her look like a warrior princess.

My son opted for the shark in the face painting at the party in the picture above, and had a blast going from one bounce house to another.  My baby first started following the kids into the big bounce houses, and then later I found an area for babies and he had a blast there too, he is quite fearless as well.

We have the most gorgeous weather,
The kids had a day of fun, fun, fun,
On my way to teach my last class of the day in a bit,
My five year old son lately has been telling me that I am funny,
That is the best thing he could ever say to me,
YAY,
Coach Yulia

Baby 0 - Mommy 2

There are so many different ways to parent, and each of us has to find what works for our lifestyle and personality.  I admire the moms that co-sleep forever, wear the baby effortlessly, and love to nurse for a very long time, God Bless You!

My philosophy everything I do, is take care of YOU or who else will do it for you, and specifically at this point in my life, TAKE CARE OF MAMA. 

I was thinking the other day that although I never officially co-slept with the baby, he ends up in our bed a lot, and so did the others and I am OK with it.  It all depends, I was never into cribs, loved the bassinet near the bed, then the Pack N Play, until they could walk, then their own bed.  I do not want to get out of my bed, if they want me they come to me :)  Some people tell me that without a crib their child would never stay in bed, so Thank God they exist, especially the ones that transform in to toddler and even to a full bed.  I just felt it was a humongous, unnecessary piece of furniture, that the baby would feel stuck, and even bump their head, which had happened when we visited friends out of town. 

So my almost two year old is in his own bed, and because of a million reasons most nights ends up in our bed.  Luckily we have a king size bed.  He is overall the most mild mannered and happiest baby, and overall has slept well.  In September we took away his pacifier, the only time he would cry at night is when it would fall out of his mouth.  He is my third and my last, and I was just done with the yuckiness of the pacifier and always losing them.  So after that he had to relearn how to sleep without one, plus teething, plus being under the weather, it is just one thing after another.

I had written a few days ago, I just let him express himself, but stay patient and know he will eventually give in.  Today I took all the kids to the synagogue, my husband met us later, and it was not a Day of Rest in the least.  My daughter was hanging on me, my oldest was overall OK, but wanted to eat, and we got there early because I just wanted to get them out of the house, I think it might have been too early.  My baby was just super fussy, after they fed the kids some cholent, a yummy meal we eat every Shabbat, a stew with meat, beans, and potatoes, I decided to just put him to nap.  I wanted to sit and eat comfortably, I put him in the stroller, he protested and cried for a while, I rocked him until he just passed out - WIN #1  It was perfect, he woke up right when we started eating we had a place set for him, and he was happy and running around after he ate.

Just now the kids were getting ready for bed, my husband is out for the evening, so I decided they are all going to sleep, I need me time, I deserve it.  Baby was so fussy, I let him play for a while in  the bed, my daughter fell asleep right away and didn't hear a thing, my son was giggling and amusing himself in his bed.  The baby started crying, I told him that I could stay with him or I could leave but he has to go to sleep, he expressed himself, got up and left, then came back, and finally gave in - WIN#2.

He has to learn that some things have no negotiation.  We are blessed with two good sleepers that are non stop all day and really need it to function properly and be happy.  Yes there is conversation, yes there is letting a child feel they have choices, but some things mommy is just going to win.

I love quiet,
Coach Yulia 

My first 2 babies, my boy in the back before his 3 year old haircut, his hair was as long as my daughters is now, and hers fist started growing, I cannot even remember her like this, how amazing, time just flies, it all passes and new adventures arise

Wouldn't it be nice to have no technology, no electronics, to take a break from it all once in a while?

I keep reading articles how at family gatherings instead of bonding with each other, each person is glued to their smart phone or ipad, and even my daughter whenever she sees that I am on my phone asks for the phone, she loves to take pictures, mostly of herself!

This is one of my daughters pictures from the phone, my son was eating chicken soup and
spilled it all over his clothes, so I took them off, then he went to her bowl and finished hers, love his belly!  

I let my kids watch the cute PBS cartoons and I know so many people love the ipad for all the learning and fun.  As an adult I know I can browse all day, it never gets old for me, it is like an ongoing reality show.  The only time I get away from it all during the week is when I do a Yoga class.  Even when I teach a Yoga class that hour I am completely turned off, and having an amazing energy exchange with the group.  We all literally feel that we stepped off the world for an hour.

What I am really blessed with in my married life with kids and living in the Jewish community is the day we all turn off, run around the whole week preparing to turn off from Friday night sundown, to Saturday night sundown.  Phones are off, TVs are off, Computers are off, we do not drive, we do not listen to music, we stop the over stimulation that we love so much during the week and just listen to each other, enjoy a meal together, and enjoy a real rest from our non stop world.

Thank God For Shabbat,
I really do not know how I could function without this amazing Day of Rest,
Shabbat Shalom,
Coach Yulia

Let it pass

Believe  it or not, even though I am a Yoga teacher, I do have a patience threshold, there is a point where I erupt.  Luckily due to Yoga it is in much slower motion when this happens, but once my buttons are pushed, sometimes I have to walk away to let it out.

It seems that now with my third child, it is more like I know whatever is happening will pass, so  don't know if my patience has gotten better but I definitely don't let things get to me as much where the baby is concerned.

Last night I must have been exhausted, and so was my husband, we did not hear our almost two year old cry.  All the kids are in one room, he is in his own bed, he comes to us on his own, and I like it that way.  I put all the kids in their own bed once they can walk, I don't want to get out of my bed!  Sometimes I hear him and I go lie down with him in his bed, hoping he will fall back asleep, and I can go to my bed.  This time neither of us heard him, he was quite loud when he was by my side of the bed, he still didn't wake up my husband, and luckily my other two kids sleep like logs.  So I picked him up, he was still fussy, it did not phase me, I just knew he would eventually calm down and fall asleep, and in my half awake space I was OK with it all.

Thank God that it happens this way, no reason to get upset, frustrated, complain about how little sleep we get, it is just the wonderful challenges of having kids.

Always trying to look at the positive side of things,
Enjoy this beautiful day!
Coach Yulia

Lost his first baby tooth today while brushing his teeth, YAY!

All is quiet on the streets

I have had such a wonderful day so far, I hope everyone is enjoying their festivities, and spending quality time with family and friends.  I went to a new amazing mommy and me class, met so many wonderful new mommies and saw a few that I haven't seen in a while, oh yeah, Matisyahu had fun too!  Then we had a great speech therapy session right after, I am not worried, but I was told his brain is already like a two year old, and he gets frustrated when he cannot express himself and we cannot understand what he wants, he has so much fun.

Once we got home baby was already napping and I got inspired to cook a delicious lunch from the chicken breast and mushrooms that needed to be cooked today, the breast came out so juicy, YUM! Also the mushrooms were so amazing, baby bellas.  I also made an avocado salad with hearts of palm and tomatoes.

Just picked up the kids from school, and everyone is loving that the streets are so quiet, no traffic.  For me it feels a little weird and desolate.  I love busy cities for a reason,  no I do not love traffic, but I could never live in a small town or a faraway place, I'm all about people.

I love all y'all,
Coach Yulia

At the Museum of Flying, they were showing a film with airplane seats to sit on, they all buckled up, practicing for our trip

It's Today, it's Today!

Have any of you watched the movie Stuart Little, about a mouse who gets adopted by a nice human family, and the little boy who is getting a little brother says excitedly at the beginning of the movie, it's today, it's today!  This is one of the few movies that is funny and silly and my kids aren't scared of.  I tried the Disney ones, and they literally make them cry, however I do love Nemo, but the beginning shark scene is scary as well.

Today is a day where many American's start to celebrate Christmas with their family and friends, and I hope everyone who celebrates has a wonderful, delicious, and warm time together.  I have many friends from all walks of life, and I love to hear about traditions, happy moments and memories, and I always love to hear about the food.

In Russia in the communist times religion was not allowed, but everyone celebrated New Year's, and what is funny to me is that they had their own version of a Christmas tree and Santa Claus which they called Grandpa Frost.  I never felt attached to these traditions, and when my parents left Russia for religious freedom, I never craved it.  Some Russian Jews love their New Year traditions and still have a tree.  I feel very connected to my Judaism, and felt that it was more of a religious symbol than a New Year one.

I think it is beautiful that at this time of year overall everyone is in the spirit of giving, caring, helping and reaching out.  In my opinion this should be a year round way of being.

Happy Holidays Everyone,
Enjoy your family and traditions,
Coach Yulia

Baby Selfie, love that curl in the front and the curl in the back

Do you believe in good or bad things come in 3?

I guess if you believe it then it shall be so, unfortunately my bad 3 are parking tickets, and I know once I get my three then I am done for a while.  It is quite sad and I should learn right now to just pay attention, I am usually running to a class, and it seems like a good spot and I just don't notice that its going to expire right after my class is done, and I might linger a bit talking to a student, and SURPRISE! The worst is when you are running to the car, and they are in the middle of writing it, and you are just caught, and they just don't care, it is their job, and they are busy talking on their cellphone anyway.

It is funny because I really do believe that good things happen ALL THE TIME, but bad only in three's so maybe I should retrain my brain to just not believe in the bad at all.  Then again we live in a world where mistakes are our learning platform to grow, and failures are steps towards success.

I don't see any success in parking tickets, and it is literally like flushing money down the toilet.  I remember when I was at the tender age of 18, 2 girlfriends and I came to LA for the first time to play.  We rented a car, and racked up $150 worth of parking tickets, which we split three ways and paid before we returned the car, OY!  We even tried the put the old ticket on the car trick, didn't work.

I am done. No more tickets. Paying attention. Making a little more time to get places.

New Habits are formed in 21 days.

This goes for everything in life, nothing is permanent, change is good.

Thoughts for the New Year, resolutions do not work, new habits work, find a plan, find support, go!

I feel like we are new every day, every day we have a chance to renew.

Renew You,
Grow,
Thrive,
Love You,
Be You,
Trust You,
Keep Planting Seeds,
Growth is for Life,
Love Growth,
Love Change,
Even love challenges and not so good reminders,
and for those of you with super tough circumstances,
Reach out,
Be Thankful For What You Have,
Don't Sweat The Small Stuff,
Be Present In Your Blessings,
Coach Yulia

Airplane Day

I love the internet, I love Facebook, one mom said she was taking her kids to the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica, I looked it up, free for kids 5 and under, DONE.  It was so cool, there is a plane popping out of the building and when you go inside you get to be in the cockpit, the kids had so much fun.  There is also a park walking distance, with some fun playground equipment, and the weather was gorgeous.

Other than that it is a be lazy and watch some shows day for the kids, and now I am attempting to make delicious rice, another amazing use of the internet, so many step by step recipes, using some Saffron and some chicken stock, excited :)

I finish off my night by teaching a community Yoga class, all is good with the world.  Next month we are going to visit my family by plane, so I was explaining to the kids all about it, there were even plane seats to sit in and watch a plane movie, so cool.  We are more road trip kind of people, but the plane seems like it will be a fun adventure for the kids, I am honestly looking forward.

Happy Sunday,
Coach Yulia

Accentuate the Positive

My firstborn is a sensitive soul, everything touches him deep from loud noises all around town to feeling hurt for what seems to the rest of us little things.  I know he will be the most wonderful husband and father one day, and I am trying my best to stay calm, support and get the whole family on board that this is just who he is.

I do not even have a picture of our ice skating venture because it probably didn't last for more than 5 minutes.  I think most things out there, including Disney and big shows, are all little too much for kids five and under.  I took them both to the circus this summer, it was a two hour super over stimulated intense show with everything you could imagine.  I was surprised they sat through it, and they did enjoy it, but it was literally visually exhausting even for me.

So just my five year old boy and I took the metro, which is always the funnest for him, got off in downtown at the ice skating rink, he already looked uncomfortable, so I asked him, should I get the skates or should we just go on the metro, he wanted to get the skates, he even put them on, and got on the ice a couple of times and then came right off, and the final time he got really upset that he almost fell and started to cry, so I said lets go.  I kept on telling him how proud I was that he got on the ice, it was all his idea, I think from a TV show, I am not a big fan of ice skating so I would never have thought of it.

It got me thinking about my own childhood and my own sensitivity when others didn't listen or didn't want to play a game my way, yes I always wanted to be the leader :)  My mother never put me into dance classes or gymnastics because she knew that it would upset me if I couldn't be the best or perfect, I grew up a perfectly happy child.  I do love dance and wish I had more of a background, but I also love just expressing myself in my own way, a performance artist, more than someone with a certain skill.  I am a great follow when I have a good lead!  Now that strikes me as funny, because I love to lead everywhere else, but a girl likes to feel like a girl in certain areas of life, and that is the right man for us strong, independent women.  Someone who is not intimidated, supports, but knows how to make us feel like a woman.  Thank God for those rare men, they do exist.

So I tried to put my kids into gymnastics, it was a disaster for my son, he didn't like anything about it, he saw boys doing it, but nothing would entice him to even try it, although our first intro lesson went well, but it was just him and his sister.  She was OK, she liked it for a while, but when there were more rules than play, she was over it, my daughter for sure.  The one thing my son liked was Karate, but it also took a little bit of nudging and the teacher was amazing.  Thank God his teachers in school are so caring yet firm, he is thriving and getting attention, love, and his amazing photographic memory is learning to read and write English and Hebrew.  He is the youngest in his class, so I just support, no expectations, just want to instill the love of learning.

I was thinking of the song below, he says accentuate the positive, and eliminate the negative, I do not know if we can eliminate it, but we can find the lesson in it and grow.

Coach Yulia

First Word Problems

I usually do not like to use the word problem, I would rather use challenge, but in this case it is a play on words.  Most of us really have no problems, and should count our blessings every day.  Since our Los Angeles weather turned chilly, I cannot help but smile when I hear anyone including myself say they are freezing.  I was cold this morning when I ran out to take my 9:30am Yoga class in my yoga pants and light long sleeve with my jacket in my hand and birkenstocks with no socks.  The lady that said that she was freezing put a sweater on her dog that she always brings and puts on a leash outside the door, and usually has her mat close to the door so he could see her.

My older two are in school, I didn't get much sleep last night because of my teething baby, so when I came home from my Yoga class I took a nap with the baby, he is still napping, I just got up and my husband made some delicious tilapia that you see in the picture for lunch.

Friday is my husband's day to get the house ready for Shabbat, he is OCD and Thank God cleans, I get everything in its place, organize, and everything off the floor, then my job is to keep the kids out of the way.  He is also the most amazing Mediterranean cook thanks to his Israeli upbringing, but he also cooks some amazing Russian dishes, so blessed. 

I am going to leave my daughter and baby at home to watch a show, and have a date with my oldest.  I keep on hearing how important it is to do this, so today, just him and I right after school which ends early will take him on the metro to go ice skating, and then come home to a wonderful Shabbat with our family.

God really gave me my match, what I needed, it blows my mind, we just figured out how to visit my family for my father's birthday all together, and everything is done on a very limited budget.

I was just reading some Facebook posts about real problems people from all walks of life are having, and any time I or anyone else talks about a first world problem, I just smile.

Shabbat,
Shalom

Healthy Elimination

I decided to make some lunch yesterday and was cutting onions, always makes me cry, and I started thinking about how tears cleanse, elimination is healthy.  My baby Thank God is feeling much better, but still a runny nose here and there, and a friend said that it is a good thing, getting the bad stuff out, how right she is.

No matter how good you eat, if it is not coming out properly, then something is not right.  Our body is magnificently designed but we must participate in the upkeep.  For women menstruation cleanses as well, we are so blessed to have a monthly cleanse.

Our wax in our ears, our saliva in our mouth, even our sweat all over our body, it is all healthy.

Do you know what else is a healthy elimination? BIRTH!

After the perfectly timed gestation period, the baby makes its way down the birth canal, it is amazing how the process is set, and as long as we do not interfere, I really believe 99.9% of the time, everything will flow and arrive as it should.

TRUST GOD
TRUST YOU
BE PRESENT
BREATHE
SURROUND YOURSELF WITH POSITIVE AND SUPPORTIVE ENERGY

This is not only for birth,
This is for life,
Coach Yulia

Rubber on Glass and Happy Birthday Bro!

I wrote about plastic bags yesterday and on NPR on the radio I was listening to a story about the ban in Los Angeles and they said that we have only had plastic bags since 1970, isn't that amazing?  It is a habit that we picked up, and dealt without it before and will learn how to be without it again easily;.  Apparently since stores are getting rid of them, use of plastic bags has gone down 95%, wow.

So I am in love with glass bottles, I just saw on the news the other day how some bottled water is just tap water but filtered.  They even did a taste test and most people picked the taste of tap water.  Especially with babies, I just found plastic bottles so hard to clean, and especially bottled water, it is so dangerous to leave it in a hot call, everything changes the composition of the plastic, and it seeps into the water, scary.

I remember I bought a three pack of glass bottles when my first was a baby 5 years ago, over the years each one shattered, luckily not on the children.  Then a brilliant idea became a reality, my favorite company www.lifefactory.com makes glass bottles, but with a thin rubber cover, that when it is dropped it bounces and doesn't break.  I have tested this theory, my big green bottle that you see in the picture has fallen from the top of my car onto concrete, and today fell from the kitchen counter, I am always excited to see if it has passed the test, I am a klutz so the tests happen often.  There are other brands out there, but I love this one because it has a handle and a flip top, no need to unscrew, easy to clean, wide, and not heavy, the perfect size.  You can also find it in Whole Foods or Erewhon for around $20, not bad for a bottle for life.

The other green one you see was my baby's bottle, it has a nipple attachment, a sippy cup attachment, and a screw top attachment, so it could transition with your child, LOVE.

Shout our to the best brother in law in the world, Micha, I wish you a wonderful birthday and may this year bring you happiness, health, wealth, and LOVE :)

Coach Yulia

Plastic Bags

More web cam fun, sorry folks, it amuses me :)

What is your relationship with plastic bags?  Apparently Los Angeles is getting rid of them in grocery stores, and now many of you already probably bring your own bag.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/26/los-angeles-plastic-bags-banned_n_3500576.html

In the old school Russian community plastic bags are gold, used for absolutely everything.  Garbage bags are the most common, why buy bags?!  So Thank God ours piled up and up and up, and honestly were taking over a large space, so I was DONE.  I remember there was a plastic bag drop off in Ralphs on La Brea and 3rd, and my memory served me right, I dropped off a huge bag the size of an oven, luckily it was light, felt so good to not only get rid of it but recycle it correctly.

I took my baby today to a fun mommy and me, it is so beautiful outside, it was in the yard, my baby had a blast.  Now he is sleeping, I am getting a few things done online, then I am tackling the kids closet, JOY!  One of the mommies was a personal trainer, I am so excited to network and meet more health and fitness mommies in our community.  I feel that we are all different, and the more of us there are, the more people will be aware, and start finding what fits them.  Same with Doulas, love meeting Doulas from all walks of life, and helping each other learn and grow so we can support during labor and birth, putting the woman first, everyone else puts the baby first.  Thank God I met my Doula from my sister in law, and I knew I needed someone there just for me, just to take care of me, nobody and nothing else.  It helped me let go of control, and she also kept my husband calm, I felt safe just focusing on the present, managing my labor, and tuning into what I needed to get through it one contraction at a time.

Not too much going on today, and I am enjoying that, I have a class to teach later tonight, but for now enjoying mommy quiet time.  Thank God for school and amazing teachers that keep my kids entertained, learning, and having fun most of the day.

Coach Yulia

Change of Plans, Sundried Tomatoes, Feeling Accomplished

So many topics in my head today, sometimes I write something in the morning one day, and my whole mood and schedule has changed a second after I pressed "share."  Yesterday was one of those days, it was a sunny 80 degrees after a week of freezing cold by Los Angeles standards.  I had no appointments, classes, or parties, so I was the event planner of the day.  My 5 year old out of the blue mentioned ice skating, and I remembered a huge ring in downtown LA, he is in love with trains, so I thought a trip on the metro would be the cherry on top.  How I was going to accomplish this with my other two younger kids I didn't know, so I called a few friends that may want to join, I wanted to do a few things around the house, it was a bit chilly in the morning, and the ice rink didn't open until 3pm.

Around noon the kids were all going stir crazy, bickering, the baby was tired from not sleeping all night, and God's plan took over, I was DONE.  Using hands and mouths and feet, nope, the consequence, no metro, no ice skating! 

I put the baby for a nap, the kids played quietly in their room, and I got to finish up around the house, and decided to at least take them to the park.  I told my oldest that if he listens nicely all week, him and I will have a special date, just us, taking the metro and ice skating, makes much more sense, and I can have fun too!! TAKE CARE OF MAMA, it's not selfish, its self care, I deserve fun too :)

Lately we have been experimenting with greens, and my husband finally brought home some sun dried tomatoes.  He does the shopping, doesn't trust me, I would just buy anything, he likes deals, and actually enjoys it, I say no problem.  Now I want sun dried tomatoes in everything, I just realized we could have put them into our potato/spinach/feta latkes, YUM.  We put them on a pizza, and today in the greens, OMG, I am in love with sun dried tomatoes, ever have them in a pasta salad.  I don't eat much pasta, but when I see the sun dried tomatoes, olives, and sometimes feta, I dive in and enjoy.

Today was one of those days where I just got things done, my goal this week is to get into our closets, my closet was the project today.  My husband dropped off the kids at school, and I got started in the morning, then I took my baby to speech therapy, he is fine, but gets frustrated when we don't understand what he wants, they tell us his brain is like a two year old, but the speech isn't there yet, he is having so much fun.  Then I met a friend at the park, my baby obliged mommy time and took a nap, fun to get to know each other and just chat about our visions of the future, and how we love the big picture and love what we do.

Came back home, dropped off the baby with my husband, ran a few errands, picked up the kids from school, then finished up my closet.

Tomorrow's project, the kid's closet, I would take a picture but I am embarrassed, it is the I don't know where to put it, lets shove it in here, closet.

It's 9pm, I am going to make this an early night, my baby has been waking up wanting to come to us, he is teething, sleep has been sparse, and overall Thank God I feel good, but still not 100%.  I feel like I can get through my day, but feel drained at the end, my eyes are tired, and my throat is OK but a bit scratchy. I hope this warm weather stays around for a while, I love the warm nights, reminds me of Miami.

Good Night,
Coach Yulia

Web Cam Fun, I look pretty good sideways!

Names

I just wrote a whole bunch, and my kids played at the computer and now its gone!!! It was good too, trying to recapture

I did not grow up with Disney, or much TV for that matter, I mostly played outside with friends, growing up in Denver we loved football, and I remember tackling a big guy, Woo Hoo!  We hung out at each others houses, we all had big basements, great childhood fun.  I remember a few shows here and there, Tom and Jerry, The Flintstones, and then The Jeffersons, The Golden Girls, and Good Times with Kid Dynamite! LOL.

My kids cry when watching Disney, so I do not show it to them anymore, I know they are young, and I know for some families it is what they grew up with and they love it.  Lion King and Tarzan has some fierce fighting scenes, they cried, we went to see Planes in the theatre, it is the follow up to Cars, there is a War Fighting Scene, my then four year old was terrified. 

We do not have cable, don't want it, my husband wouldn't get off the couch.  I love PBS, it has wonderful shows with great lessons, one of my favorites is Daniel Tiger.  It is like Mr. Rogers, with tons of stories, examples, and ways to behave and treat everyone around you, LOVE!

So my kids never got attached to any brand name characters, to my daughter a princess is beautiful with long hair and a fancy dress, preferably pink.  All of our dolls are baby, and our toys are giraffe, bunny, doggie, etc.  No proper names, until one day my daughters cute little friend at school had a baby sister named, Simi, so all of her dolls became Simi. 

Now it all changed, every doll, toy, stuffed animal, you name it, their name is her name, Ziona Sofia.
I find it very amusing, but she is very serious about it, kids are silly, its all good.

They are watching Daniel Tiger now as I indulge in my blog, and I think I wrote now what I wrote before they hijacked the computer.  Our office is in the breakfast nook area, so there is no way to block it off, and my baby is the most obsessed and knowledgeable of all the buttons.  I was reading somewhere that before babies reached for toys, but now they reach for any cell phone they see, and if they cannot get in, or to play a game, they get frustrated.  I also read somewhere that the light from computers and cell phones is not the healthiest and exhausts us.

First World Problems,
We have to just laugh sometimes,
Especially at our 80 degree Los Angeles weather,
We have nothing to complain about,
Be Present,
Be Grateful,
Thinking of taking kids to the ice rink in downtown by metro,
First World Perks,
Coach Yulia

FLOW and FLOWING HAIR

Going through my phone pictures and ran across this gem from a few weeks ago, my daughter is getting her first trim since birth, she is turning four in March.  She really looks like a starlet with those finger waves and strawberry blonde mane.  My oldest is drinking some water and just had his haircut, and my baby is sitting in his stroller, glancing at me perfect timing for the picture.  My hairdresser has the TV on, so the kids are watching cartoons, that is where their eyes are glancing.

My daughter has the most beautiful literally goldilocks, and the color comes from my mother in law and my brother in law.  Her actual hair texture is from me, those of you who know me way back when remember my locks, but now my husband prefers straight hair, and I love how easy it is, the locks are a little too extreme for him.  I don't have a picture near me, but I will try to find one for tomorrow of my hair way back when.  It just naturally goes into the twists, mine I would put it into place so they were all over my head and looked like dread locks, but my daughters just naturally falls beautifully all around, and had body, she is always getting compliments.  It is funny to look at pictures of a year ago when her hair was by her ears.

Not sure what I wanted to write about, then ran across this picture, and it started to flow.  Sometimes we need a little inspiration or motivation.  I feel so blessed that all of you are enjoying my blogs, it really makes me happy that so many of you relate as women, wives, moms, and even men, husbands, and dads. 

All of us need each of us,
Thank You For Enjoying,
Thank You For Sharing,
Let's Keep The Conversation Going,
Coach Yulia

Time Management

Priorities, that is what it is really about, and especially with kids, when I get distracted, everything else goes out the window.  I have tried lists, paper calendars, even my phone has been the best tool for tracking my appointments and to do lists, but sometimes something slips out of my head and an opportunity is missed.

My business and my family are equally my priorities, but when I am with my kids I want to be there 100%, so the business gets put on the back burner.  I am not at a point to have a personal assistant, but that would be so nice, so someone can do all the scheduling and I just show up and be me.  That is what I would thrive with, and what I am going to strive for.

I was interviewed for the article below, just click on the link, and I love how it is written.  It is talking about the religious Jewish community being open to alternative medicine, exercise, and trying different ways of healing other than doctors.  I was asked to submit a picture, and it just escaped out of my head, by the time I realized it, it was too late.  I wish my picture was there, but I love how it is an article showcasing all the different people in our community, and I am so happy how she described me and my services.

https://issuu.com/jewishhomela/docs/la_jh_12-12_lo/33?e=0

This is a lesson for me to either do what I need to do right then and there, or put it on an alarm in my phone.  Hopefully lesson learned, but as my kids come and want absolutely anything, I will drop everything and just be eema (mama in Hebrew.)

Shabbat Shalom,
Coach Yulia

Nutrition and Exercise

NUTRITION

 

I found an amazing article today about a fast food restaurant going broke in a country that just didn't support the way the food was made, all the advertisements didn't help, I think its so cool.  I remember when we moved to America from Russia in 1980, I have a picture of me with Ronald Mcdonald, they have the fun play area inside, they have those toys that they give to kids, so its about everything else but the food.  There have also been very disgusting videos about how the food is actually made, I really don't know how people can consciously eat fast food nowadays.

 

http://www.getholistichealth.com/38160/mcdonalds-closing-all-restaurants-in-bolivia-as-nation-rejects-fast-food/

 

We are what we eat.

What you eat in private shows in public.

 

Excess once in a while is moderation.

 

I found this article below a few days ago that really goes into how our bodies work and to find what works for you.  Calories in vs. Calories out, and the nutritional composition really affects our health.

 

http://www.shape.com/weight-loss/weight-loss-strategies/10-unbelievable-diet-rules-backed-science

 

 

EXERCISE 

 

 

I have been working at 24 Hour Fitness for over 13 years, and a while ago they gave specials for friends and family, finally they did it again! Click on the following link, and just enter my ID number 44279 and my last name Medovoy, and start your New Year right :) Expires midnight 12/17/2013.

 

https://www.24hourfitness.com/friendsandfamily

 

 

The Offer:

The Friends and Family discount will be offered on our Loyalty Reward membership:

Club Type	Initiation	Monthly Dues (months 1-12)	Monthly Dues (after month 12)
Sport	$29.99	$24.99	$24.99
Super Sport	$29.99	$39.99	$39.99
Ultra Sport	$29.99	$69.99	$69.99

 

Q4 Friends and Family Campaign (December 12 - 17)

The Friends and Family discount will only be offered from Thursday, December 12 – Tuesday, December 17, so make sure to contact your friends and family early take advantage of this great offer! After December 17, the Friends & Family program will be turned off until next year, so take advantage of this special holiday offer while it lasts. Team members may enroll up to three individuals in this offer.

 

 

GO!

Coach Yulia

 

Worrier vs. Why Worry in Advance

Which one are you?  I suppose both of these are extremes and everyone falls into somewhere in between, but I find myself always around one or the other, of course at different levels.  I am the Why Worry in Advance, non paranoid parent, "ME" time, you name it that is me, sometimes to the very extreme.

I was raised very independent, free spirited, and treated like an adult.  When we immigrated from Russia, my parents had to work, and I took care of my brother, I was 7 and he was 5 1/2.  I always like to be the leader, and am blessed to have found Yoga where people gladly follow and enjoy :)

So I want to give my kids a chance to develop into their own personalities, characters, and talents.  I want them to feel free to express themselves and get a little nuts sometimes.  My kids like to be nuts all the time, but I suppose its most kids, there is no filter and they are just being, we probably could learn a lot from them.

I have other people in my life that are worriers, and sometimes it is valid, but for me it feels like a waste of energy, I have enough on my plate, I cannot add worrying in advance to it.  I also am solution oriented, and whenever something happens instead of wondering how or why, I am working on how to figure it out.  I had a roommate once that really just wanted me to listen, and listening is a very important skill that I definitely can work on, I just wanted to solve, solve, solve, it really frustrated her.

All we can do is surround ourselves with people who accept and respect who we are no matter what happens, and vice versa.

All Good,
Coach Yulia

Check Ups

I am all about preventive maintenance and eating right and being active, BUT it is also important to get checkups and make sure everything is as healthy as you think it is.  I am trying to instill this in my kids too, that getting a checkup is a good thing, it is not scary, it is just taking care of ourselves.

My parents have recently lost a lot of weight, especially around their midsection.  They exercise daily and are conscious about what they eat, which kept them healthy, but they found something that was a super-food and naturally cleansed them, check out www.sunchlorellausa.com.

I am not into extremes, I have not done cleanses or colonics, I think everything works, but everyone has to find what is right for them.  I have been using the sun chlorella for two weeks, and it seems like it is definitely cleansing but not in an aggressive way.  I am hoping that I will see some weight loss soon, I feel like my body is just stuck and stretched from three kids in a row.  I feel amazing overall, have tons of energy to get through my day, but I wish I looked as good on the outside as I feel on the inside.

Another friend of mine recently lost a lot of weight in a couple of months, and he shared with me the weight loss plan below.  It is important to be exact in your portions and eat five times a day every three hours, he was also exercising daily, and he won two weight loss competitions!!!  He literally changed before everyones eyes, I am hoping that it will give some of you ideas of how to incorporate things into your life.

Eventually whatever you do has to become part of you, a lifestyle, there really are no quick fixes, that is why most extremes don't work long term, and have side effects.

I love to hear what everybody is doing, hopefully each individual will find the right combination for them.

I went to the eye doctor today and he told me that after 40 even if you have good vision to read, it will be harder to read with glasses or contacts on that you use to see far.  I only wear my glasses to drive or watch TV, and now I have contacts on, and it has always been weird for me to see close with glasses or contacts.  I usually like them only for special occasions, but usually I am happy to see what is right in front of me.  Even when teaching a class, I love to see peoples silhouettes, that is how I know if their form is on or could be adjusted.

I can talk health all day,
Lets talk and figure it out together,
Be Healthy My Friends,
Coach Yulia

Happiness is...



Static hair from a trampoline?! YUM :)
 

Happiness is:

Health
Family
Success in your Passion
Spiritual Connectedness

What else do you think?

In Russia when a toast is made it is always for health first, health is everything, you can have everything but without health you can not enjoy it to the fullest.  Right now because of our dry chilly weather, I am off, not sick, Thank God, but dry, scratchy and sore throat, and for some reason a slight headache, which I rarely get.  I am happy I have an early night,  all the kids are sleeping, and God Willing will be sleeping all night, so I can finally get a good nights sleep.  When I do not sleep, I am off, but luckily still happy :)

My grandmother and my mother are just plain happy, no matter what is going on, their are the shiny, positive view.  Thank God I inherited that frame of mind, and when I feel off, it feels weird.  I was talking a friend today that was also feeling off, hormone off, depression off, and she was telling me that it was so weird, she didn't want to be in that place, but it was there.

God Bless Us Women!

We go through so much in this life, finding our identity, puberty, girl hood, woman hood, wife hood, motherhood, and then menopause, and whatever else happens in between, it just never ends.  I feel so blessed to have healthy genes, that overall everything works as it should.

Health is a Blessing,
Lets not take it for granted,
Preventive Maintenance,
Take Care of You,
Monitor what you put inside your body,
Stay Active,
Rest and Recharge,
There is only one you in this lifetime,
Treasure it,
Be Kind To Yourself,
It Has To Start With You,
Coach Yulia

Lazy Sunday

Thank God my kids had a birthday party for a little girl who's father and my husband are buddies.  I barely slept last night so I asked him to go with the kids, it was in an inside enclosed space, I knew he could handle it, so off they went.

I should have slept right away, but it was nice to have a quiet house, I enjoyed some Facebook and then washed the breakfast dishes, then at noon actually got some deep sleep, once I got warm.

They came back just after 1pm, and my husband had to run off somewhere, I wish I had more sleep, but it at least was deep.  Baby was sleeping, so the kids and I got out my rebounder for them to jump on a bit, then we got into the legos again, we build the helicopter, and once the baby woke up did some coloring.

I now have them all watching Stuart Little, even the baby is entertained, and I can fold some clothes and write my blog, all is well.

I am teaching a Yoga class tonight, and hopefully get the best sleep ever!

Sleep and Poop,
The Hot Topics of Parents,
Coach Yulia

At the birthday party today they made these cool T-shirts, a whirling machine where they spill colors that they chose

Saturday's Blog

OY! I remembered that I forgot to write Saturday's blog at about three in the morning when my baby was tossing and turning in our bed for the millionth time.  The day overall was great, it was raining, and my kids had fun walking to synagogue with my husband using their umbrellas.  I dressed them all up warm and was ready for my best sleep of the week.  Unfortunately I think it was a mix of coffee and some Herbalife green tea, and I felt chilly, the deep sleep did not come, but it was nice to have a quiet house.

Once everyone came home, the baby fell asleep, all the kids had wet feet from having fun jumping in puddles, luckily right before they went home and not when they just got there.  My husband went to take a nap with the baby and the kids and I were building a fun new lego set that we got with a fire station, motorcycle, helicopter, and a couple of boats.  It overall kept the house quiet, and we had fun.  Because sundown is early, Shabbat starts and ends early, and we had plans that night, so I am happy baby got some good sleep.

 

We were invited to a fellow trainers house for a holiday party, it is an amazing studio in Beverly Hills that I see private clients and she is the owner, check it out here http://beverlyhillsprivatetrainers.com/.

By the time Shabbat ended, and getting ready, going to the party, coming home, putting fussy baby to bed, I did not have a moment to sit down and blog, my apologies.

Sunday Blog Coming Soon,
Coach Yulia

Chicken Soup - with lemon and egg

There are so many ways to make chicken soup, and lately I just can't get enough.  Especially since it is chilly outside, and my throat needs some extra love.  For those of you that don't eat mean anymore, or vegetarians and vegans, I respect your choice.  I just love how healthy chicken soup is, that broth, the vegetables, YUM.

I found a recipe a while ago about a Greek style chicken soup that besides the usual asked for orzo, egg, and lemon.  So the orzo you put at the very end because it cooks fast, I sometimes put it in, but I love just vegetables and soup.  Once its cooked, let it boil and stir in a mixture of fresh lemon and and egg beat into it, and it makes the creamiest, lemoniest, yummiest soup on the planet, I just can't get enough.  My family is not as into it as me, so I just indulge myself when there is the last bit of soup left to put in the lemon and egg, mmmmm.

Stay Warm,
Stay Hydrated,
Take Care of Your Health,
Have a Wonderful Weekend,
Shabbat Shalom,
Coach Yulia

Tried to capture a moment of Sam reading to the kids, and my lady is always ready for a picture perfect shot, my big boy is concentrating on the story, and my baby is always curious about what is going on all around him - Thank God

Five Generations

It occurred to me the other day that my children are the fifth generation since my great grandparents that are living openly and expressing their Jewish faith and traditions.  My mom is writing her memoirs, our relatives suffered greatly in the World Wars, the Holocaust, and Communism.  My parents came to this country to give us a chance to get to know our Judaism again, God Bless Them, they knew they were Jewish by nationality, but had no knowledge of rituals, traditions, and prayers.  The wonderful American Jews that helped Soviet Jewry encouraged my parents to send us to a Jewish school, because otherwise they told them we would not get a Jewish education.  Today in my 5 year olds classroom he is learning to read and write Hebrew.

I was named after my father's grandmother, Yehudit, they couldn't name me a Jewish name in Moscow, Russia in 1972, so Yulia was the closest Russian equivalent.  She was observant, kosher, and the wise woman in her community.  Her daughter Zina, my father's mother, my grandmother, who my Ziona Sofia is named after was not able to keep the traditions, and my parents had nobody to teach it to them.  I went to my Jewish school, Hillel Academy in Denver, Colorado for 8 years, and when I married my husband, the observant life felt farmiliar, comfortable, like coming home.  Now my children only know the Jewish life, they love Shabbat, they had so much fun over Chanukah, and I am grateful they know their roots, culture, and traditions.

1. Yehudit my great grandmother
2. Zina my grandmother
3. Peter my father
4. Yulia
5. Eli Tzvi, Ziona Sofia, and Matisyahu are carrying the torch, shining bright, standing tall and proud.

Thank God,
Coach Yulia

Keep Shining Year Round

I was outside my window after we lit our Menorahs and tried to take a decent picture, it is three Menorahs, my son and daughter made theirs at school, and one for my husband and I, on the last night of Chanukah shining bright, it was beautiful to see.

This afternoon my husband and I made the most delicious latkes, he prepared them, but I found the recipe, I am the navigator, guide, coach but he is the chef, YUM!  I love holiday food :)
http://www.cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com/spinach-feta-potato-latkes-spanolatkes/

Chanukah is a symbol of bringing light into the world, inspiring, motivating, and shining a light on what may not be so good, and hopefully bringing a positive outcome.  God willing we will take this on year round, to be honest, to be genuine, to be real, to just BE.

I feel so blessed for everything in my life,
Just a little more parnasa, more success in business would be nice,
The beauty of this world is that it is OK to ask,
I am ready for it all,
Bring it,
Let's Go,
Coach Yulia

My Throat

I love to catch my husband in the background, he does not like taking pictures :)

My throat is my weak spot, especially my voice box, luckily I have discovered how to keep my voice even when my throat is dry, sore, or not feeling too good.  Unfortunately it all starts with dryness or changing temperatures, which we have been having a lot lately.  All of my family went through a cold, and luckily it went as fast as it came.  My throat however is still not happy, I am eating soup, taking Ricola, which I like because it does not paralyze the voice box like halls and other medications.

I taught a great class tonight, and my voice sounded great, I brought some hot tea with me to soothe my throat, now it is a bit sore, but I have an appetite, and it doesn't hurt to swallow.  We all have our physical weak spots, and this is mine.  Thank God otherwise I feel good, and I am hoping that all the kids will sleep tight, all night, and let me get some rejuvenating sleep.

Good Night,
Coach Yulia

Who do you look like?

 

 

 

Who is Maria Callas?  You can learn about her here, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Callas, and hear her amazing voice and various looks throughout the years.  Today is her birthday and she is the google doodle, and I decided to learn a little more about her myself, why?  Quite a few people have told me I resemble her, and I take it as a big complement, I thought she was Italian, but her real last name is Greek, and I definitely see some similar features in certain pictures.

 

I have been told I look like Cher, Olive Oil from Popeye, Lilith from Frasier, and there are so many others, I have written a list, once I find it I will share.   I have always connected to my 1/4 exotic side, and had friends in every scene, was never just into one thing, but I was drawn to the extravagant all my life.  In Miami everyone thinks I'm Cuban, in the part of LA where I live I look Persian, then if I go down to Glendale I look Armenian, these are all gorgeous cultures, and its all compliments to me :)

 

It is always fun to reminisce, finally all my kids are asleep and I get my precious "ME" time, please do not every feel selfish my friends, it is self care, it is recharge, we need it to give all that non stop energy almost 24/7.

 

Today my kids were off of school because of Chanukah, so I took advantage of the day off and made dentist appointments, my son did great, my 3 1/2 year old daughter didn't want to but they let me sit in the chair, she sat on me, and we got through it.  I actually enjoy the dentist, I find them artists that work with architecture, it is purely amazing to me, I had work done recently, and the best part is nobody can tell, it just looks like my smile.

 

Excited for tomorrow, going to the Herbalife warehouse to pick up some delicious treats for my clients order, kids are in school, teaching class in the evening, love my balance, need my balance, Thank God for my balance.

 

Coach Yulia

 

 



100% Trust in God

I am happy I took this picture this morning, tons of fun planned for the day, and now I am just DONE.  Sometimes there is so much I want to do, and it gets frustrating because all kids want is to run around and have fun and to be with their parents, all the other stuff is fun too, but ultimately too much planning and too long of a day leaves everyone exhausted.

We took a long drive to Malibu for a wonderful hair cutting ceremony of a friends little boy turning three.  It was an absolutely gorgeous day, everyone was in good spirits, once we got there all was OK, but parents of three kids or more, you will know what I mean.

I AM ALWAYS LOOKING FOR ONE OF THE KIDS.

I have the baby with me, and sometimes we are in an enclosed, safe area, and I let him roam.  My oldest is always running ahead, ALWAYS, no matter how many conversations, consequences, rewards, every time.  My daughter is very clear about what she wants and expresses her disappointment when she doesn't get what she wants when she wants.

What has helped me immensely throughout my life is my unwavering trust in God and that I am taken care of and my children are taken care of.  I breathe, keep looking, and now they are OK, and I really like the phrase "Why Worry In Advance?"

We are in culture of sensationalism, the only news on TV is bad news, horror stories get played over and over, and of course they exist, but they are not the only thing that exists, and I firmly believe that.  Yes I need to get firm, pay better attention, and maybe stop putting so much into my day, for my own sanity and that the kids have some leeway to just free play.  On the other hand, when fun is going on, I don't want them to miss out, I may be exhausted, but I want them to experience every ounce of life.

We ended our day at a Chanukah event at the Grove/Farmer's Market in Los Angeles.  I had to carry my baby most of the time, kept on having to raise my voice for the other two, but we enjoyed a fun ride in the trolley, hung out with friends, and saw a great show and the tallest Lego menorah being lit.

WORTH IT,
Coach Yulia