Edison Rex

A Day in the Life

I love reading about how other creative & business folks spend their days--I'm obsessed with the "Way I Work" column in Inc. magazine. My friend Sarah shared a day from her life recently on her blog, Desirous of Everything, and I thought I'd do the same. I happened to choose this past Friday, a laid back, rainy winter Rex day. Enjoy!

 

5 am: My alarm goes off. It sounds like crickets, which I love. For a long time I'd been waking up everyday at 4, but now that winter has really hit I've been "sleeping in." Five is about as early as I get up these days, but generally I love to be awake before dawn--and before anyone else in the house!

5:45 am: after some dozing, dreaming, and thinking about the day ahead, I get up, go downstairs, and make some yerba mate. I jot down a short to-do list and do some journaling in the Book of Me. Then I do some Shiva Nata (wacky yoga brain training) and some more writing. 

7 am: Start sketching! I've been commissioned to illustrate a book for someone. It's a project close to their heart, and I feel honored to be working on it. I'll be finishing the rough draft storyboards in February and I'll definitely be sharing some work in progress with you.

8:30 am: Dennis and Thommy wake up. We have some breakfast, read the paper, and chill.

9:30: Thommy and I give kisses to Dennis and head to the Y for this yoga class.

12 pm: Home for lunch! And Thomas graciously goes down for a nap by 1:30.

1:30 to 4 pm: Rex time. Creative writing, answering emails, working on my editorial calendar, and tackling more of my massive studio makeover.

4 pm: Thommy wakes up from his nap, we all hang out a bit and then go for Mexican at our favorite place. We pick up a few last minute things for Thommy's two year old birthday bash and come home to get snuggly. I continue my massive studio makeover while Thommy intently studies "Elmo's Potty Time" and Dennis does some work of his own.

9:00 Thommy is asleep! I read a novel and soon I'm out as well. Goodnight!

xoxo Maeg

P.S. If you're curious what happening to all the Year of Joys photos--in the name on congruence, I've decided to just post them all on Fridays! In the meantime, you call follow me on twitter or instagram (i'm @maegyosef) for daily peeks! xoxo

Comment Love Challenge

Hey there, Rex readers. It's time to get your comment on.

I love receiving comments on my blog. I adore the little emails I get that let me know someone has reached out, read, and responded. I love leaving comments, too, and I love the community and camaraderie that I both feel and witness all around the blogosphere.

Commenting can be tricky, though. The pressure to think of something both sensical and relevant. Sometimes I find myself taking in more than reaching out. But--the discussions, fun, and all around good feelings that come from comments and conversation are totally worth the effort. Sometimes we just need a little encouragement to get the ball rolling, right?

A few of my blogger friends and I decided to provide that encouragement. We put our heads together and created...

...the first-ever Comment Love Challenge!

Brought to you by Edison Rex, Desirous of Everything, One Lonely Apricot, and Tamara Like Camera.

Here's how it all works:

When you follow the link below and sign up, your blog will appear on the Comment Love Challenge page.

The Challenge officially begins on February 1st and ends February 14th (hence all the love, baby!) All you have to do is: comment, comment, comment! Have fun! Make new friends! We encourage you to comment on blogs participating in the challenge in order to foster a little bit of community and spark fresh conversations, but you can really comment wherever you like.

Did we mention the fantastic prizes?

But wait, there's more! Keep track of your daily comments for the entire two weeks. At the end we will feature the blogger with the most comments.

Not only that, but all participants who made at least 42 comments (that's 3 per day for the course of the challenge) will have a chance to enter a very special giveaway...to win a copy of Elsie Larson's Blog Love E-Course, graciously donated to this event by Elsie and Emma of A Beautiful Mess! I've personally taken this at-your-own-pace course and loved it! It's the perfect prize for any aspiring or active blogger.

Since four blogs are hosting this challenge, your blog will be seen in the link up by a lot of readers, and we guarantee that you will get comments on your blog!

Get ready for February 1st and sign up below!

Grab a button to post in your side bar, too!

<center><a href="http://edisonrex.typepad.com/edison-rex/2012/01/comment-love-challenge.html" _mce_href="http://edisonrex.typepad.com/edison-rex/2012/01/comment-love-challenge.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Comment Love Challenge" src="http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j307/soholla/commentlove.jpg" / height="200" width="200" /></a></center>

Join the Comment Love Challenge now!

Click here to enter your link and join the Comment Love Challenge!...

Two

We celebrated Thommy's second birthday yesterday. It was a laid back lil' shindig, just family and lots of paperchains, trains, and good eats. 

To me, it felt almost as if it was his very first birthday, since it seemed to be the first one he was really able to understand, take part in, and get excited about. Last year's celebration was beyond low-key!

Happy Birthday, Thommy. I love you and I love watching you become more and more yourself each and every day.

xoxo Mama

My Year of Joys, Day 29

january 29th, day 29.

finding out that two years old is old enough to blow out a candle.

happy birthday, thommy.

xoxo, mama.

My Year of Joys is a year-long photo project documenting one small, sweet joy every day in 2012.

See each day so far or join in!

 

My Year of Joys, Day 28

january 28th, day 28.

After a week of hard work, my studio/office is again a happy, inhabitable, sunny space.

I burned some sage to celebrate!

xoxo Maeg

Trust

I went to yoga today in the midst of a stressful morning. 

I was about 20 minutes late to class, as I had to wait for a spot in the gym childcare to open up for Thommy. (Oh, January gym goers, I will outlast you!)

The important thing is, I got there.

I crept in quietly, and gently unrolled my mat. My fellow students were on their backs, in the middle of some leg exercise I'd never done before. But in this particular class, I expect new and unfamiliar. 

I lay down on my mat and followed along. I didn't know what I was doing. I didn't know why I was doing it. 

I was there, moving my legs, looking at the ceiling, in yoga class and that was all that mattered.

Everything, everything, from the morning melting away. Or rather, released. Wow. Why was it so easy?

Then it came to me: I love yoga, I love this practice, because I trust it. Implicitly. I'll try nearly any pose, any chant, any breath, any exercise to see what happened. With complete trust in this teacher and in yoga.

And I trust that no matter what happens in the practice, I will learn something from it. I will be happy that I showed up.

I can come to my mat and go into mental and emotional freefall because I trust I will be caught. I may go through the day feeling like nothing more than a bundle of atoms held together by the force of attraction, but I know that in yoga I can let go and I will not scatter. I trust. 

I realized, as I moved in and out of poses, what a vital and necessary thing it is to have places of complete trust. 

Tension releases. Hackles go down. Jaws unclench. Defenses, gone.

Trust allows release. Unbounded creativity. To see and be seen, completely and clearly. 

So much of life requires demands on guard. Second-guessing. Analyzing. Selectively sharing. Or does it?

Where do you find spaces of complete trust?

xoxo Maeg

 

 

 

 

My Year of Joys: Day 27

january 27th, day 27

making time to get my yoga on.

 

happy weekend, all! xoxo Maeg

My Year of Joys is a year-long photo project documenting one small, sweet joy every day in 2012.

See each day so far or join in!

 

My Year of Joys, Day 26

january 26th, day 26.

a family hike through the woods.

to the little house, the climbing tree, and the river.

and finding the perfect leaf.

xoxo Maeg

My Year of Joys is a year-long photo project documenting one small, sweet joy every day in 2012.

See each day so far or join in!

 

And then it was Thursday.

Hello Thursday!

Just popping in with a few bits and pieces today. 

As you all know, the idea of congruence has been on my mind a lot this week. My column on Scoutie Girl this week is all about it, too, so feel free to head over there and show the love. If you haven't been turned onto it already, Scoutie Girl is a great blog edited by the amazing Tara Gentile. I think you'll like it a lot!

Also, it's giving-away time again! Every month I give away a super mini shopping spree to a randomly chosen newsletter subscriber. The winner this month is...drumroll...Angela! All the details are in your inbox. xo 

I'm really happy to see new folks signing up to be part of the Creative Collective, and I've loved the ideas for topics that you all have been gifting to my inbox! Thank you!

If you're curious or want to be part of this monthly discussion, you can see all the details and sign up here. You can sign up and participate as often or as little as you like.

With that, I'm off to make a little coffee. Have a little breakfast. Perhaps fulfill a little someone's request to watch "Elmo's Potty Time." You know, Thursday.

How are you spending your Thursday?

xoxo Maeg

 

My Year of Joys: Day 25

january 25th, day 25.

knowing when to admit defeat and just call it a spa day.

with a teacup toast to you,

xoxo Maeg