Happy New Year!

2008 is nearly done!! 34 more hours...

I can't believe a week has flown by. Christmas was great here. We went to the airport to catch our flight and was told there were no flights getting out that day. Luckily we had left ourselves enough time to drive, so we hopped the next ferry and were on our way. It was a fairly harrowing drive - several hundred kilometres in the blowing snow, ice, below 0 temperatures, with 15 cars in the ditch on the way up and 5 on the way down. That's a bit unnerving when someone passes you and then 5 kms down the road you see them in the ditch, or worse yet, completely upside down against a rock face (2 other cars had already stopped and were calling 911; I sure hope the driver of that truck was alright - his truck certainly wasn't). Nonetheless, slow and steady wins the race and after 9 hrs (what would've been about 6 hrs in summer) we arrived safely at our destination on Christmas Eve. We had a lovely Christmas, family all together, enjoying it all. Boxing Day we all went sledding, which was SOOOOOO much fun - I went over a jump several times and thought I'd be ever-so-sore the next day, but really, for my age (LOL) I was feeling pretty great the next day. Got to visit with my grandad on the way back, which was so special. I just love being around him. Always have. :) Slightly harrowing drive on the way down; we were detoured because a major accident on the main freeway, but still made it home before midnight.

Nice to be home, though. The house is a disaster - toys, (clean) laundry everywhere... more importantly is that we are all still revelling in having dh home for another week.

Oh, and I got a Joyce Chen Spiral Slicer for Christmas which works WONDERFULLY. love love LOVE the zucchini pasta it makes. Also got a mortar & pestle, which I haven't used yet, but hopefully that will be handy as I make raw food.

That's the update for today. Will try and post again soon. And hoping you have a very happy new year. Stay up 'til midnight; celebrate the passing of one year and the birth of the new year, and the possibilities it holds.

Namaste
~n~

'Tis the Season...

I've had a lovely, if somewhat rushed, day. Our family played a boardgame after breakfast (how blessed I felt to awaken to the sounds of dh starting the woodstove and making a lovely breakfast, to the aromas of foods he and the children love - SO nice to have him home!), and then spent several hours all working together, getting things done (housework, chores, wrapping & packing) so we can head off for the holidays in the morning. Tonight I am going to go wrap presents and then make Christmas Kuchens to take with us for the holidays... it's a sweet-bread with almond paste filling and cherries and cardamom... mmmmm if only it were raw. LOL ;) I wasn't sure earlier if I was going to have time to make it (and since it takes 2-3 hrs, I'd better get started), but I felt so strongly that kuchen is a Christmas tradition in our house, and while traditions certainly don't have to be adhered to, I really want to make kuchen tonight. :) (Food for thought there that traditions don't have to be adhered to. Be flexible and compassionate with yourself - and be reasonable; if there isn't time, there isn't time - don't feel guilty if you don't do things in exactly the same way each year or each holiday or season. (LMAO anyone who knows me knows that being reasonable is wide-open to interpretation with me, the Aquarian - LOL (is it reasonable to stay up most of the night wrapping presents, or to make kuchens at 3 a.m. when we have a 9 a.m. flight to catch?!?! Well, okay, that may not seem reasonable, although other members of our family have been known to be that kind of reasonable... no names, no names.)

dh & I had a wonderful day alone yesterday. His parents graciously offered to spend the day with our children so we could have time alone - the first day we've spent alone together in nearly 6 MONTHS!! (That's quite the oxymoron: alone together. I mean, either you're together, or you're alone, but how do you be alone together?!) We went off-Island, spending hours just being TOGETHER. How nice. Time to chat, to actually look at each other, hold hands, hear our ideas and thoughts and dreams. It was more than wonderful. It was the bestest of the best. And how lovely that all of us - the two of us, his parents and our children, all benefitted from the day - his parents had a fantastic day with our children - they went sledding in the snow and generally had a terrific day by the sounds of it, and dh & I were able to spend long-overdue time alone enjoying each other's company. Loving it!

Today would have been my maternal grandmother's 94th birthday (1913 or 1914 - I can't quite remember). She passed away 7 years ago next February. She was a wonderful person, a caring wife, mother, grandmother, and an accomplished and renowned artist (among so many other things); we have several of her pieces in our home. I have a beautiful black-and-white photo of her from our wedding day; when I'm at home I'll have to post it on here. Today I remember her and feel honoured to have been able to share in her life.

Eight years ago today is also the day that my son got his first tooth. When I look at pictures of him, at 9 months, wow, does that ever take me back... how I loved it all... the new-ness of motherhood, the softness of his skin, the smell of him, the gurgling and cooing and snuggliness of his little baby self. And that tooth! That first tooth! And then fast forward 8 years and here I have a boy who is growing so very quickly! Who has lost that first tooth already (lost it more than 3 yrs ago)!! Amazing growth (in both he & I) these past 8 years. Again, I am feeling very honoured in this moment to have him in my life.

~namaste~

Happy Solstice!!

Happy (belated) Solstice!! (Technically it's still solstice since I haven't gone to bed yet, right?! LOL)

I am *SO* blessed this Solstice...

• to be sharing it with dh who DID arrive back on Paradise before midnight last night...
• to be blessed with caring relatives who lent me their 4x4 to go pick dh up from the airport, and who cared for our children while i was out driving in blizzard-like conditions...
• to be blessed with these same relatives, who shared their home with us and allowed us to sleep over when we returned late and tired, who always welcome us into their home with open arms...
• for the beautiful, beautiful snowfall that graced the world around us overnight (our relatives live on top of a hill - as in, they have a 400m near-vertical driveway!)...
• SO grateful for the chains I bought for the car not 2 wks ago, and for learning how to put them on (yes, this morning, in 8 inches of snow), and for the car's EXCELLENT handling ability in this weather - YEAH for AWD and all-season tires & chains. YEAH for Subaru! :)
• Also so VERY grateful for the community coming together for the postponed neighbourhood christmas party today, for the father who dropped by and then went home and passed the message on to his wife and kids, who really enjoyed coming, for the assistance of the others who really went all out to get crafts and activities organized, who enjoyed the food, for Santa who came and entertained, despite a smaller-than-normal turnout, for the heat and electricity running in the hall, for the volunteer fire chief who went up early and turned the heat on so it would be warm when we got there...
• Filled with gratitude for the road crews who have been out there sanding and plowing, even our rural side road today, as the snow continues to fall.
• Thankful for our very functional woodstove and dry, split firewood.
• Thankful that my son enjoyed a long visit with his bf, who lives next door. They played so well together today and we all enjoyed dinner together; dd got us playing the alphabet game.
• So thankful that dh made dinner tonight. (I was up several hrs last night with insomnia and was exhausted by this evening). Also b/c I just didn't want to be making cooked food when I'm committed to eating raw, and I feel like I've really been struggling with eating raw in this cold weather... there is such a strong addictive pull towards cooked foods and winter - such a strong association, of comfort foods and hunkering down. For my continued good health, I simply MUST choose to make new associations, new traditions. (Especially with Christmas coming up in a mere days; yes, I'm feeling a tad anxious what it's going to look like - a raw vegan christmas dinner, amidst a feast of meat and dairy, of cooked foods, of family, of personal struggles with willpower and mindless eating, and yes, of judgments, from myself and from others).
• To enjoy the love, companionship and friendship with a wonderful husband.
• So blessed this solstice for my good health and flexibility, that I enjoyed rowing today and love that rowing is such a special personal solstice celebration. :)

Blessings & gratitude to you, this winter Solstice.

In light,

~n~

Winter has arrived.

Just in case you're not yet aware: winter has now arrived. Officially in the next 24 hrs, but the weather is already here (and the snow & wind continues as I write).

Tonight we thought we would be hugging dh mere moments from now at the airport, but travelling from one coast of Canada to the other on the weekend before Christmas rarely goes smoothly (especially on the taxpayer-subsidized-airline... NOT like the other one we OWN STOCKS IN, where the staff are polite to us, just a few of the many owners... grumble, grumble, grumble). Anyways, dh's flight from Halifax was delayed this morning and by the time they arrived in Toronto, the airline had 'bumped' them off their connecting flight from there to Vancouver, AND the subsequent connection home to the island. SO... he was temporarily stranded in Toronto, where the next winter storm was brewing; they'd re-booked his flight for a Toronto-Calgary flight TOMORROW. Hmph. As luck would have it, he was put on standby for the next Toronto-Vancouver flight and was blessed with a last-minute seat, so should be arriving any second now in Vancouver. How he's going to get from Vancouver to the island afterwards is the next hurdle. We were supposed to be dining out tonight with his parents and friends of ours. Getting ahold of his parents to explain the situation wasn't a problem, but apparently I didn't have a phone # or email of our friends, so have left a message with the restaurant and am counting on them to relay the message. HOPEFULLY that goes alright and we have understanding friends. :)

Lest you think his travels are the only messed up thing today - our computer that recently had its harddrive replaced has decided to die. It doesn't boot into windows; all it says is "Disk Boot Failure. Insert System Disk. Press Enter." Now, wasn't it doing this 3 or 4 wks ago which is why i had the harddrive replaced in the first place?! Looks like it'll be going back into the computer place to get fixed... yet AGAIN. How very frustrating. Maybe I shoulda asked Santa for a money tree.

And then the pipe in the ensuite froze... AGAIN This is the second time I've been in there with the hair dryer thawing it out. THANKFULLY I got it flowing again and have left it dripping so it might not freeze overnight (I hope). I've got all the electric baseboard heaters in the house on at the momet; scares me to think what our next bill will be like, but when it's -3 outside and pipes INSIDE your house are freezing, it might be time to turn up the heat. LOL (to my credit, this particular pipe is in a north outside wall, and while it has insulation around it, the north wind apparently is not helping much).

Had a few moments of mindless eating today when I first found out dh might end up in Toronto overnight. Got off the phone, went straight for food. Humbling to know we are never that far away from that which we struggle against. ;)

The postponed neighbourhood hall party is SUPPOSED to be happening tomorrow morning, which means an early morning getting up there and organized. HOPEFULLY people show up... I ran into one local family in the grocery store late this afternoon who knew nothing about it. :( Keep your fingers crossed.

Anyways it's freezing down here in my father-in-law's office so I need to warm my toes up by the fire. I'll write again... when the computer is fixed, or I'm at the library, or back here, or something.
Namaste
~n~

Snow Day!

School's out - too much snow!!! LOL You might wonder why a homeschooling family cares when school is cancelled because of the snow, but my ds's best friend who lives next door goes to school, so it was one of the first questions ds asked this morning, "Do you think school will be cancelled?" when he saw how much snow we had outside. Indeed it was, and the two boys have been happily playing together all morning. We only have about 2 or 3" at our place, but there are a number of large, curving (treacherous) hills between here and town that the school bus would have had to navigate, so in light of that, no school (and La Leche League meeting and Tai Chi class tonight have both been cancelled as well). It's not often school is cancelled because of the weather out here on the mild west coast; 2 yrs ago when we had a wicked hurricane-force storm pass through was the last time - there were so many trees across the road, power lines down, that it really was dangerous to drive for a few days. But today, we shall enjoy the sun shining on the beautiful, glorious snow outside, and just enjoy building a snow family and fort and playing in it!

I think I may have just had the MOST delicious smoothie ever invented!! 1 banana, 1c frozen local blueberries, 1 1/2 c frozen local strawberries, about 2/3 L of homemade almond mylk, and 1/4 c E3Live, and about 20 whole raw cacao beans blended. DEEEEEEEEElicious. (I've also had some scrumptious raw vegan brownies today from Jennifer Cornbleet's book (dates, walnuts, cacao powder, agave, cherries) - and also some yummy raw mint hot chocolate... that's raw chocolate 3x already today. )

I've been thinking more (and talking with people in my life) about the disappointment of not getting that job... just sorting through the emotions. I am at a place in my life where I do not NEED to work (I mean, I can always USE more money, but the reality is that I am managing just fine - *WE* are managing just fine - with me not working full-time... yes, of course there are sacrifices being made, certainly, but it is a balance that seems to be working very well for our family in this moment). I don't necessarily WANT to work either - not full-time anyways - I certainly don't want to be away from my children hours every day, or to put them in school or daycare so that I can work a 'regular' job. That is SO not what I am wanting for my life right now. But I am often daydreaming of creative ways lure more income into my life...

Things I would be interested in doing for money in 2009 (LMAO, this may NOT be the list you were hoping for, boys - laughing to herself, she thinks 'are there any men who read this blog anyways?! I thought the only two readers were Aleesha & Charlene!!') -
1. compost pick-up and consultation services
2. raw food and juice feasting coaching and maybe even 'cooking' classes; I wouldn't even object to doing raw food catering or opening a raw food restaurant or take-out place... all things that have passed through my mind.
3. cob building - I am quite confident this is something I would love doing. The guiding principles of mudgirls (www.mudgirls.ca) REALLY fit with what I'm seeking in terms of potential employment.
4. reiki practitioner - I need more experience & training...
5. I would like to investigate Aura Soma and possibly become a practitioner, but I feel the costs are beyond what I am able to arrange at this point in my life. But Colour therapy is definitely something I'm interested in...
6. somehow incorporating these and even more of my interests and especially my interest in lifelong learning into a position where i could share my passions with others (writing, speaking)? i don't even know what this might look like, but I'm going to put it out there in the world, on this blog, and see what comes of it.

I know one interest I have right now that is really pulling at my heartstrings is living in community. This has been growing within me for some time now... and I have had conversations with my loved ones about how important I feel having a strong sense of community around us is. I have toured intentional cohousing complexes and spoken with people who live in, and those who would like to live in, some sort of intentional community (Google places like Windsong in Langley, BC or O.U.R. ecovillage in Shawnigan Lake, BC for examples, or read the book Ecovillage at Ithaca for another wonderful example). I don't know why this interest pulls at me so, but it does. I imagine the children going outside on pedestrian streets between the earth-friendly homes, having playmates of various ages around to play with and other watchful, friendly, caring, guiding adults around to converse with... a village of homeschoolers and beyond... Certainly I enjoy this sense of community from our local homeschooling families when the children are at classes together and out and about together, and I sometimes wish I could be surrounded by their positive energy and support more often than I find myself. I *do* so appreciate and am filled with such immense gratitude for the other hl'ing mamas and our wonderful LC; I *so* value their support and encouragement.

Another interest that is growing in me is in regards to WATER. I am really feeling such a pull towards speaking out on water preservation, on the protection of this vital resource. Our community water system at present chlorinates our water, although I think they are moving towards a UV system in the near future. I have willfully been ignorant towards the effects of chlorine on us - the more I read/hear/learn, the more I think chlorination is not protecting the health of those it purports to. We now have a chlorine filter on our shower, but the rest of our house water is as-it-comes from the tap. I really want to get a Reverse Osmosis system for drinking water.

Ahhh I have SOOOOOO many interests, I could go on and on. Such is the life of an Aquarian and lifelong learner. LOL But right now, I am feeling a strong need to get the children back outside to enjoy the sunshine and snow, and I also want to make the time to exercise this afternoon. I rowed 10 kms yesterday as I'd missed the day before and it felt great to go 10 km again - a year ago I was rowing that far every day but recently I've been very consistent with 5 kms a day and that feels really manageable and sustainable and it is good to be exercising (and sweating) daily, even if only for 25 minutes.

Namaste,
~n~

ups and downs

Yesterday was an odd day. A bunch of emotions floating through the sky of my life... First while we were driving, not 5 minutes from our house, I hit a little winter bird and killed it. I stopped and went back to it and was shaken that a life had been lost at my hands. It was just a day of different emotions - some good moments, some challenging... I found parenting a little challenging as we were finishing up our Christmas shopping; the little people simply did NOT want to go at a speed I wanted to go at - a little battle of the wills as they wanted to stomp in every patch of snow downtown they could find, and I just wanted to get out of the COLD and get the errands DONE... LOL I exercised a lot of patience and restraint!!! We had a really nice stop at Cafe Bliss yesterday and although I was a little disappointed the book I'd asked to be put aside had been sold accidentally, the food made up for it. I enjoyed a raw pizza and salad and the kids had a kids' plate with fruits and veggies and nuts and we loved the mint hot chocolates (raw) and a little smoothie one of the kids had. The food was such a welcome break to the errands of the day. Nonetheless we have now completed our holiday shopping and only have wrapping and delivering now, and some holiday baking to make as gifts as well. Oh, and the other disappointing news of yesterday was that although I was shortlisted for the marriage commissioner job and went for the interview and they called references, I was not one of the two successful applicants. Here I had a 50% chance, and I blew it. :( Bummer. It made me think (long and hard) about the many times in my life where when I've really wanted something to work out one way, it doesn't, and leaves me filled with disappointment and then typically I end up going down another path altogether or coming back to this path much later, from another angle. (how's that for cryptic) Anyways I was reminded of when I first came out of high school, applied to only one post-secondary institution, CERTAIN i would be accepted, and when faced with a rejection letter mid-summer, scrambled to make alternate plans for the fall, all the while dealing with the disappointment of putting just one egg in my basket, only to have it not hatch. You'd think I would've learned, but this pattern has happened a couple times in my life. Always good to have a Plan B, I guess. I wasn't looking for f/t work (not that this was), but what attracted me to this position were the flexible hours. Anyways, I think at this moment, with 4 volunteer positions and trying to fit in Reiki sessions and homeschooling, I am probably busy enough.

But still, generally a little disappointed about yesterday.
~n~

HOLY CRAP it's COLD.

Well, okay, so it's not -42 with windchill like it is in Winterpeg, but -18 on the West Coast is nothing to act smug about. I cannot begin to tell you how dreadfully COLD it is. The WIND, my friend, the WIND is soooooooo strong and unrelenting and well, cold. If it weren't for the wind, it would be quite bearable, maybe -2 or -3; still cold, but bearable. But this North Wind is just insanely cold. I realize we're not an isolated pocket here on the West Coast - apparently most of Canada is in a deep freeze. Global climate chaos, anyone?! I've NEVER experienced anything quite this cold here. Never in my multiple decades of life. LOL

Well, enough of that sob story, eh. The power was out for, oh, 6 hrs today. After the first hour the inside temperature of the house had dropped (because of that wind) from 20C to 10C, at which point I got the woodstove going. Made the kids soup and then pasta for dinner on it, and we warmed ourselves in front of it while playing boardgames and singing carols.

Today I am REALLY truly grateful for the employees of the local electricity utility that work crazy hours and go out in all kinds of crazy weather so that people like me can enjoy warmth and comfort from inside our homes while the crazy weather whirls around us.
I am grateful for enough cut, dried firewood and for the trees which gave their lives to heat my home. (I am reminded that 2 yrs ago when we were without power for 3 days we had none.)
I am grateful for having lots of candles (PartyLite ones).
I am grateful dh returns home in just 6 more sleeps (weather co-operating).
I am grateful for being able to postpone the community christmas party until next weekend, when dh will be home and able to come. And I am grateful for the wonderful community support I receive.
I am grateful for hot water.
I am grateful for clean dishes and clean, warm, dry clothes.
I am grateful that the two friends who came over yesterday allowed me to share my Reiki skills with them, that they would let me into their space. I am deeply honoured.
I am grateful for the winter wind, which makes me even more grateful to be inside a warm, cozy bed, in a warm, cozy home.
I am so very grateful for my children who love to snuggle and who I enjoyed playing boardgames with today, and watching them decorate gingerbread people, and I just feel so honoured to be a part of their lives.

power's out

windy and cold - VERY cold - here. light dusting of snow on the ground, currently -1. Power just went out (I'm running on a uninterrupted power supply unit with the computer, but time is of the essence... must shut down momentarily). Will post again once it's up (shouldn't be long; not more than a couple hrs anyways).

Neighbourhood christmas party this morning was cancelled as the local community hall was without power (no good having a party in the dark, cold hall). Postponsed it until next Sunday.

Must go now. Beeping loudly at me.
~n~

animals

forgot to mention that a hummingbird came to the window as i finished up the first reiki session. this is what i found out about hummingbirds on the web:

Hummingbird comes when we need to spend time soaking in the love of nature so we can learn how to integrate joy into our lives.

The hummingbird brings us the gift of beauty... When the hummingbird flies into our lives it can indicate a need within ourselves to complete a specific lesson that we have been avoiding... Hummingbirds have the advantage of seeing things from all angles and can show us how to expand our perceptions... The hummingbird serves to remind us of the beauty and wonder of the world. While their speed and sound may sometimes startle us, they help pull our attention out of the mundane so that we can acknowledge and appreciate the beauty of Creation.

isn't that beautiful? Also saw a raccoon (who visits daily) around the same time. we have a couple of them who come and eat the cat food (we have outdoor cats) - lately they've been around very regularly. a little odd to see them out in the daytime, however. here's what i read about raccoons:

Symbolically hands represent holding or receiving. If raccoon appears to you it might be asking you to let go of a situation, person or habit. On the other hand it could be telling you to reach out and embrace the gifts being offered to you by Great Spirit. Extremely curious it leaves no stone unturned. Curiosity has its advantages and its disadvantages. Following ones curiosity can open doorways into new and exciting territory, although curiosity applied without caution can lead to trouble. These masked bandits are persistent robbers and do not tire easily. Because of its masked face the raccoon holds the energies of disguise, magic, and secrecy. Hiding behind its mask it can take on several identities at once and play out different roles. Seldom does it reveal its true identity. It loves adventure and leads us down a road to new discoveries. Shape shifting is part of its magic. Raccoons have an air of indifference around them when caught in the act of a robbery (so true!!). Strong and muscular the raccoon can hold its ground in most all situations and teaches us to do the same. The raccoon holds the gift of transformation. When it appears in a persons life the many faces of self are about to be revealed.

Saturday

Another Saturday night at home, snuggled in with the kids, warm in our beautiful (if unfinished) home. The snow is falling (first of the season) gently outside, and the Christmas lights on the cedar tree in the front yard look beautiful, with the branches dusted with snow. The children went to a friend's birthday party this morning while I gave Reiki to two friends here at home. I've got the soup for the community christmas party (which is tomorrow morning, btw) made, the buns made, in the morning I'll cut up veggies and make dip, rice krispie squares (festive ones, ;) made, (vegan) chocolate gingerbread cupcakes made, and 5 dz gingerbread people made, with icing and decorations ready for little ones to decorate. Got the CD player and holiday music, the extra presents for Santa to hand out, the elf costume, the crafts and art supplies... PHEW. Have I remembered everything?! Let's just hope the snow that's falling doesn't stop people from coming out tomorrow morning.

Last night I read The Hidden Messages in Water by Dr. Masaru Emoto, a Japanese researcher. If you haven't gotten into reading or watching (on DVD) any of his work, I highly recommend it. When I have more time than I presently have, I'll share what really excited me about this book I read last night. Not every day that you find a book that you just can't put down, a book that you have to read cover-to-cover before going to sleep.

Have you heard of the movie, What the Bleep Do We Know? I had to look this one up on Wikipedia... or you can check out the website at www.whatthebleep.com/ It looks like a movie I'd enjoy... but maybe it's only me who hasn't heard of it; after all, it originally came out in 2004. That's only 4 yrs to hear of it out here where we get no radio, no tv signals, and no newspaper... LOL just kidding on that last one. But I am pretty out-of-touch with the Continent (meaning North America). Just to show you I'm not completely out of touch, though, I am aware of some kind of global economic crisis apparently goin' on at the moment. Hasn't really affected my reality here on the Island, but I guess it might one day. Alls I know is I'm gonna grow some more food for my family in 2009, travel less (not hard to do since 2008 was a banner year for travel in this household; now we're so flat-assed broke we couldn't get off Paradise (aka this Island) if we wanted to - LMAO), and um, well, that's all I can think of right now. See? I'm not completely out-of-touch. (well, so maybe I am. LOL)

But at the moment it's gettin close to 10, and even if it is Saturday night (and i pretend i don't have anything better to do), young children need sleep if they're going to party hard tomorrow morning, so I'd better start some semblence of a bedtime routine around here, before Wee Willie Winkie comes-a-knockin'.

Namaste
~n~

another leisurely day at home...

Yesterday we did the major shop for the community christmas party (at this moment i'm underbudget, but I need to get a bit more on Saturday, so i'll probably end up being over by $50). We restocked the craft and art supplies and got the majority of ingredients for the soup and gingerbread people, which I'm planning on making tomorrow, I guess. It was a full day of shopping but overall it went quite well. Today I have to sort through so much STUFF here... it's piling up. It's time to go through the Christmas wrapping, the filing of monthly bills that hasn't been done in half a year, the old art supplies out of the hall party box, La Leche League paperwork, food co-op paperwork, and get some laundry done. Just don't come knockin' on the door because it's nearly noon and we're all in our pjs still! LOL (i just LOVE "at-home" days!!!)

Made a raw chocolate dip this morning from David Wolfe & Shazzie's book Naked Chocolate which tastes delicious with mandarin orange pieces. Also made more zucchini hummus (from Jennifer Cornbleet's: Everyday Raw Food for 1 or 2 people)and also ranch dip from cashews (same book). There's some almond mylk in the fridge, too. Yesterday I had a litre of juice - green cabbage, ginger, and apple with E3Live, some veggie pulp flax crackers and a salad with avocado on it, some soaked prunes for breakfast and a mandarin orange, and a smoothie (1.5L) with 2 bananas, 1/2 L of almond mylk and 1c each frozen strawberries & frozen blueberries, and 1/4 c blue-green algae (E3Live). Soooooo yummy.

The other night as we lay snuggled in bed, my ds says, "I think being a parent is hard work." Why is that, I asked? "Well, because of all the things you have to do... make meals, do dishes, laundry, housework, pay for the house, our clothes and food, homeschooling, paying bills, all that kinda stuff. Doesn't leave you much time to play!" We had a conversation about the difference between being an adult and being a parent... most of what he described were adult responsibilities - they would be there regardless of whether as an adult you were a parent or not... as you grow up you need to somehow make enough money to keep a roof over your head and clothes on your back and food in your tummy, right? Add to all of that the responsibilities of parenthood - that you are taking on the care of another person who is not yet able to fend for themselves in the world and yes, definitely there is a sense of responsibility there for sure! He lay there for a while then said, "At what point do you become in debt?" Huh?! What he meant was, at what age do you start to owe the banks money?! LOL He answered for himself - when you end up spending more than you make... like when you have a mortgage. We talked about different lifestyle choices as an adult - living simply, working at a job you are passionate about (and well-paid for) and having lots of free time to do as you choose (grow your own food, for example, which would keep your costs down remarkably)... or working long hours and making lots of money to live a highly-consumerist lifestyle... maybe borrowing money so you could own your own place... We talked about having enough money to buy land and then having the skills to build your own place, and the freedom that comes with having no mortgage. He decided he'd like to work maybe 3 days a week, just enough to pay for his land, and then have a few days to grow his own food and live quite simply in his own handbuilt house, using a bicycle and transit for transportation and living with renewable alternative energy sources. :) Thatsa ma boy!! LOL Quite the conversation to have with an 8 yr old!! Finally he said, "okay, no more talking. I need to sleep!" Too funny.

Post #101!

I just realized my post on Monday was the 100th post on the blog! And judging by the counter, somebody must be reading it. LOL

Yesterday was SUCH a productive day around here. I made 8 loaves of bread (4 spelt and 4 raisin) for the family, and then 4 dozen buns (both spelt and white) for Sunday's community christmas party. And we have THREE days at home this week, not two, which is fantastic. I'll have lots of time to make 6 dz gingerbread people, a big pot of soup, and get the crafts all organized for Sunday. :) I laughed because my sister quite regularly organizes HUGE socials and fundraisers, and here I am, sweating it out over a community christmas party that will maybe have 40 people in attendance.

I am really proud of myself breaking the feast. It's been more than a week now, and I've eased back onto solid food really gradually and well, and the exciting part is from my lowest weight on the feast, I've only put on 2 lbs, which I'm thrilled about. The recommended supplements seem to be helping tremendously to tone my colon and I've maintained a wonderful healthy glow on my skin. Considering that prior to this juice feast I had only done one 1-day feast, and then I jumped in and did a 45 day feast, I have such confidence now. And being back into exercising daily has definitely helped me gain even more self-confidence.

It feels like whenever I fall off the horse (for example, despite exercising near-daily for 18 months, I then proceeded to take the majority of the last YEAR off), at any given moment I can make a different choice - I can choose to jump back into it, whether that is exercising daily, eating healthier, being more compassionate with myself, communicating more peacefully with those around me... at any given moment you are FREE to make a different choice. It's not about judgment; it's not about seeing it as making a better choice. It's just a different choice. And you really are FREE to make it. In this moment... and now in this moment. Your past does not dictate this moment... you have the ability to just let the past go and do something new or different now, if that's your choice. It feels very liberating.

I know that when I initially went vegan, people around me of course didn't think I'd ever change my ways so dramatically... I think they saw me (understandably) as a product of my past behaviour, of past attempts and choices... Granted, my reasoning for going vegan was pretty strong for me... a friend of ours had died and I wanted to honour his death - he died trying to make the world a better place, so I took that on, and knew that the best way to make the world a better place was to start with myself, and I just instinctively knew that meant honouring myself and respecting myself more than I had been, so I, all of a sudden, dropped meat and dairy one day, and started exercising in earnest that very day, the same day he died. Within months I had dropped a considerable amount of weight and was so very committed to being a role model of a healthy lifestyle to those around me... not preachy, just quietly living the example. No words are necessary. Now that it's been a few years and I continue to exemplify a healthier lifestyle than that which I had been living, I think I've gained a lot of respect from those who know me as one who is determined and follows through on her intentions, and that's something I guess I hadn't anticipated. Certainly this juice feast has confirmed for me that I have the ability to see things through; not that I won't make errors along the way, but that I can certainly pick myself up, dust myself off, and get right back on track. And that feels really good.

You are a radiant, divine being! Let your true self shine through!
In light and love,
~n~

Feeling great!

It's Monday. As yesterday was 'tree hunt' day, we now have a lovely tree. Yes, I asked forgiveness before cutting the tree down. (That was important to me). So this morning the children went into full decorating mode. The decorations that go throughout the house are out and the tree was brought in and fully decorated - lights, garland, beads, ornaments, tinsel... it's all done. We're even listening to Christmas music. It's very festive here. ;)

Have another two Reiki sessions booked for this upcoming weekend. The kids are going to their fourth birthday party already this month (who knew they had so many friends with Dec birthdays?!), and here it is, only the 8th!

Have two "at-home" days this week planned... so I will be baking buns tomorrow for the community christmas party next weekend and then the next at-home day I'll make a couple dozen gingerbread people and also soup to take up as well. On our "out" days, I'll pick up supplies - both groceries and craft supplies and assorted small gifts. So I'm feeling really on-top-of-things at the moment, despite still not having a solid group of volunteers backing me up on this one. One of my children said to me today, "Do you have to do the organizing? I mean, one of our neighbours doesn't do anything with the community association." No, I don't HAVE to do it. But I said, it's really important to me that (a) I volunteer and give back to my community because I feel really strongly about giving back so that when I need assistance I know I can depend on my neighbours, on my community, to help me out. That's part of it. Payin' it forward. And part of it is that I really want my children to have social interaction with other kids in the area; to have the opportunity to have a fun community party, and I *know* if I didn't step up to the plate here, especially this time 'round, that it simply would NOT happen at all, and that would be a shame, not just for my kids, but for all the kids and families and people in the neighbourhood that show up. Last year we probably had 30 or 40 people attend, and all seemed to really enjoy themselves, so in the end, I think it's worth it. It's just that I've been grumbling a LOT lately about having to do this or that for this hall party, and I think I need to rephrase how I say that. I get to do this for my community; nobody's forcing me to do it. :) Thanks, my child, for helping me see that. :)

Day 7, Post-Feast

Wow, well, I don't know at what point you consider 'post-feast' over, but I feel like I have, with moderately high success broken the feast well. There have, of course, been some slip ups (like being over at friends' and having only a plate of nacho chips and salsa in front of me at a moment when I should have had a litre of juice in my hands... let's just say too many of those chips entered my mouth before I stopped myself from REALLY bingeing. It was pretty humbling to realize that even now food addiction issues are, well, addictions and as such are never too far from the surface. Made me realize that MINDFULNESS always seems to be the key to success.) Anyways, on the whole, I feel like I've done very well - taking the recommended supplements daily and have added food in gradually for the most part - soaked prunes the first couple days, added to that soft fruits the next couple days, then added in some veggies and now I feel like I'm nearly completely back to solid food, although I am still aiming to incorporate 1L of green juice in daily, including in that E3Live, of course. Still exercising near-daily which is great, both cardio (rowing) and strength/resistance training (Tai Chi). And I gave my first two Reiki sessions yesterday and both went very well! I was so happy and felt great afterwards; hopefully both of them did as well.

WHAT'S ON MY BOOKSHELF THIS WEEK:
I'm reading The Five Love Languages of Children right now - enjoying that; also reading Eliot Coleman's Four-Season Harvest, another great book. And Thich Naht Hanh's The World We Have. Looking to pick up a copy of Julia and the Nut Mylk Tree for a Christmas present (kids' book) and also a copy of Peaceful Piggy Meditation; might have to go online for that one. Really enjoyed watching the Dervaes' Urban Homesteaders video on YouTube recently; lots of food for thought (punny, aren't I) in there - I've been thinking of it a lot afterwards. One other book I'm going to look for through the library is Lloyd Kahn's Builders of the Pacific. Saw a review in the local paper recently; looked like I might like it.

Going to go make some juice and get my day organized and going.
Peace to you,
~n~

Day 5, Post-Feast

Things are still going well. Breaking the feast gently and with resolve... getting soaked prunes in each day, I've added soft fruits (berries) and now small salads as well, and am gradually decreasing the amount of juices each day. Going very well and it really feels odd eating sometimes. But it's all good. (no digestive upsets at all) and I'm taking the recommended supplements which is going very well, too.

Woke up at 5 this morning, overwhelmed and filled with anxiety, as the neighbourhood christmas party is in 9 days, and apparently I'm the only person volunteering to organize it (okay, well, Santa's coming, so that makes 2 of us who are committed to it). Started making a to-do list in the darkness before dawn and now I've got the posters made to put up on the notice boards and will get that done very shortly. Next week I'll make buns and soup (day before) and mulled apple juice and pick up some mandarin oranges, candy canes and eggnog and make a large veggie tray and pick up some desserts (unless by the grace of the Goddess I find time to make some) and that will be the food done. Going to also make a couple dozen gingerbread people for the kids to decorate (and eat) and will have assorted crafts for the small people to do as well (which I'll need to prepare and have tables set up with instructions before the party starts). Need to pick up some small gifties for Santa to hand out to the children and have those wrapped beforehand and also remember to bring some festive music along. If I can find an 11-14 yr old willing to play Elf, we have the costume already, and that would be a huge help. Maybe someone to do holiday face painting would be great. And in past years, volunteers have made phone calls to individual families inviting them along, which has greatly increased turnout, so hopefully I find someone to help with that or I find time to do it myself.

(I had a huge rant here, wondering how I am supposed to single-handedly get all my responsibilities that I've taken on organized, only to re-read it and realize not even *I* wanted to read about self-inflicted misery or to watch myself slowly burn out. So in the interest of positive intentions/thoughts, I've deleted it all.)

The job interview for the marriage commissioner job was yesterday and (I thought) went very very well. We'll find out in 1-2 wks exactly how it went. In the midst of trying to arrange Reiki treatments for friends/family who want an hour of relaxation this month, but so far, despite having more than 12 people initially express interest, I've only had 1 confirm, even though I have made 8 hours available this month (having arranged childcare), so hopefully those hours will fill up as I really would like to give the gift of Reiki to those friends and family!

Day 2, Post-Feast

Re-read Ms Stokes' A Juice-Feaster's Handbook this morning, and wrote out a general timetable to follow each day for the recommended supplements: White Oak Bark, Ginger, Triphlax, Probiotics, Chanca Piedra... Also began the day with 8 oz of soaked prunes and the accompanying water. Rowed, drybrushed, hot/cold shower (just on the extremities... I can't IMAGINE covering my torso in ice-cold water.... BRRRRRR), and another 8 oz of soaked prunes (That's 2 cups by noon. For the average person on the SAD, you can surely imagine what kind of effect 2 cups of prunes would have; oddly enough, it was very VERY gentle on my body... THANKFULLY. LOL). Anyways, had about 4L of juices between noon and 7 tonight, and a small green salad (about 1 c of greens) with a small amount (1/2 c?) of 'spanish breakfast scramble' pate which I got off youtube (Ani Phyo recipe - YUMMERS). I was pretty pleased with my feast-breaking today. No gorging on pizza, no drinking a case of beer (not that I would anyways, hee hee)... but still, the URGE to OVEREAT is HUGE. It's a struggle, for sure (for me, anyways). You don't want to feel like a kid in a candy store and just allow yourself to eat whatever, whenever. There's got to be continuity from the feast - a MINDFULNESS brought into your daily living, especially in regards to your relationship with SOLID food. It can be challenging, when 3 yrs ago, I really did give myself free reign in regards to food. Now I remind myself how much I HONOUR and RESPECT my body and self - too much in this moment to just inhale an entire cheesecake or a burger and fries or whatever. What I eat becomes ME. Do I want to become "as fat as a cheeseburger" (as one young lad once said to me, sadly)? No, no I don't want to go there. On the one hand, the introspection of mindfulness seems selfish or at least time-consuming at times, but on the other hand, it's critical to how I'm choosing to move forward in my life.

Time for anyone under 10 in the house to go to bed. But just before I do that, I want to say how GRATEFUL I am to have spent a LOVELY half-hour outside in the late-autumn sun today at the playground, just sitting in the sunshine while the children let off so much energy in a playful, happy, spirited manner. It was pure bliss and I enjoyed every second at the park.

Also really enjoyed checkin' in with the gang down at Cafe Bliss, post-feast. (www.cafebliss.ca) They have been so completely supportive of my juice-feast, even though they hardly know me at all... their support has been really key to my success the past 45 days. Just knowing that when I was out and about I could go somewhere and get fresh, raw, vegan, organic juices to sustain me has been phenomenal. Massive thanks to everyone who works down there! :)

post-feast pics will be up soon, with any luck.
Namaste
~n~

The End is Here! The End is Here!

No, no, I'm not a doomsdayer (though you might think so by the post's title, LOL). I'm just here, doing my oh-so-happy dance... this morning I ate 6 soaked prunes and drank the soaking water. mmmmmm prunes have never tasted so good. I still need to get on with making some juices for today so I only have but a moment online here, but the juicefeast is officially over, on Day 45. I have a had a wonderful experience feasting, but am really feeling ready to return to (raw) food (although I have really enjoyed watching my body and mind transform the past 45 days).

Today was so cute; the kids woke up early and dashed downstairs to their advent calendars (one has Playmobil, the other has the Lego advent calendar). Afterwards, we made a cutout snowflake and put it on the window to count down to Solstice (which is really what I look forward to most in December) and they also put up and decorated their little 2' tree upstairs in their room. MOST exciting for them.

Tonight we will be writing Letters to Santa. Basically, everyone writes a letter (at the agreed-upon time) about what they might like to receive this year, then someone reads them aloud (so that the other adults can take notes, if you catch my drift) and afterwards, they are tossed into the lit fireplace while everyone chants:
North wind, North wind,
Blow with all your might,
And take this letter
to Santa Claus tonight!
It is officially done on Dec 1st each year, thereby enabling a few weeks for gift-making to occur.

Often the 'tree hunt' is done on the same day, but I think this year we're doing it next Sunday (daylight takes priority). Having 12 acres of forested property, and only harvesting 2 trees annually, we are taking much less than the overall annual growth rate on the property. This year, though I think I might splurge and get a live tree (they're about $100 around here) so that we can plant it in our yard afterwards (I should say that we are on an acre, not 12; it's the extended family who have 12).

Reading Thich Naht Hanh's Peace is Every Step. If you haven't ever read it, it's wonderful. You don't have to be Buddhist or into meditation or any of it to 'get it'. It's in really really easy-to-read little chaplets (that's my invented word for a little chapter). It'd be a perfect book to have beside the toilet or the bed. Pick up a copy from your library. It just might change your outlook on life... on how you go about your day. It's not my first time reading it, and every time I read it I am reminded of what really matters in life. Thank you and Blessings, Thay.

In Light and Love,
~n~

p.s. if anyone's counting, we're down to 19 sleeps 'til dh returns.

Day 43

It's been a very productive few days. I've got the computer hd fixed and other appts have fallen into place. Housesitting has gone well, although it's a lot of driving back and forth, feeding our cats and also the animals at their house. But they have high-speed internet! LOL

Juicing has been going well. I'm averaging 5L a day, of which 1L is celery-based and 3L are greens-based and the last is usually something sweet - like the yam, carrot, apple, ginger, cinnamon that I love so much. Most have E3Live added (I'm using a bottle a week) and usually the first one of the day has 2 tbsp of hemp or flax oil added. That's become the usual routine, although I try to change it up as often as I am inspired to. And I'm getting at least a litre of water in as well each day; not often getting 2 or more litres, but 1 is better than none.

Definitely dry-brushing, hot/cold showering, exercising (and sweating), using positive affirmations and spending time just sitting in solitude, and also trying to take in something inspiring daily. With a busy home life with children about, it can be quite a lot to incorporate each day, but I really feel like I am being more loving towards myself, and a happy mom makes a happy family, most definitely.

OH! Nearly forgot to share! The other day I received a very surprising phone call: the marriage commissioner job I had applied on in very early October! I've been shortlisted and invited to a (group) interview next week! After I'd initially applied, I was talking to a girlfriend (who I've known since we were 3 yrs old), and she said the job would be PERFECT for me. I was flattered, but when I never heard anything weeks later, I assumed I had not been shortlisted, so you can imagine my surprise receiving the phone call last week. Very exciting.

So here it is, Saturday night, I'm just hangin' out with the kids (one is singing silly nonsense songs, the other is sharpening what he thinks is now the world's smallest pencil - LOL)... looking forward to ending the feast on Tuesday with half a dozen soaked prunes... it's been a really great experience overall, this juice feast - my skin is so clear and soft and my eyes are really vibrant and clear - SUPER clear, my hair is silky and in great shape, and yes, I'm down a fair amount of weight - ~25 lbs over the 45 days. An inter-library loan came in yesterday - David Wolfe & Shazzie's Naked Chocolate - which has only increased my desire to return to solid food. LOL Actually, it'll be a couple weeks before I endeavour to add cacao in, but it will be a lovely holiday treat. ;) I am hoping, in 2009, to do at least one 30-day juice feast, if not more than one, or a longer one. We'll see, but at least 30 days out of the next year I am really interested in juicing for.

Namaste
~n~

Day 40

WOW I can't believe it's Day 40. So incredible that I only have 5 or 6 days to go. (uh oh, story hour's starting and I need to help with the crafts; time is VERY limited!!!)... 25 days until dh comes home, and only 5 sleeps until dec 1st, which is when we do Letters to Santa, start opening advent calendars, and also start counting down for Solstice Celebration (we make cutout snowflakes each day and put them on the windows... they look beautiful by the 21st!!)

i guess that's it for now. off to swimming after this and then house-sitting for 4 nights.
talk later
~n~

Day 39

Our harddrive at home is so very unstable at the moment... completely unreliable. I am on the computer at the library... but am only granted an hour, so I have to type VERY quickly as I've used it almost completely up on the homeschooling weekly report.

Juicing is going great. Day 39 today and I have about another week, I guess. Everything's just fine. Rowing every day, dry skin-brushing, hot/cold showering as often as I can stand to (which isn't daily, I'll admit that!), doing tai chi or reiki or sitting meditation daily as well, taking the compost out regularly - it's amazing how often the bucket(s!) fill up on this feast (wonderful for my hungry worms/bacteria out there, though!)... I'm finding that I need several hours in the morning to do all of that before I'm ready to go out though and that can be challenging if I want to get out of the house earlier in the day (like this morning I was up at 6:30 and we left the house around 10:30.... that's 4 HOURS that I was busy pampering myself. LOL oh well, the lengths I'll go to to stay sane, eh.

I suppose that's all I have to report at the moment, and seeing as I'm overtime on this library computer, I guess I"ll have to say g'night and I"ll try to post again tomorrow during story hour for the wee one.
Namaste,
~n~

Day 34

I managed to get up early and row and make enough juice for the day before heading off to volunteer this morning. I was humming and hawing last night about whether I ought to continue with this volunteer position in the new year, especially since I would then have 5 different organizations I volunteer for (not including donating blood), and that seemed like a lot. But this morning, my co-leader was so awesome, listening to my concerns and she has offered to step up her end of organizing the meetings and taking on some of the administrative duties which were getting me down, so I feel like now I can continue... for the time being. ;) I was so glad she was understanding of where I was at.

The juice feast is going great - it's so hard to believe it's been over a month. Days are just flying by and I could easily go 90 days, I think. One day or 90, it doesn't really matter much at this point. Having said that, I will be ending it at 45/46 days - Dec 1st, breaking the feast on the 2nd and then taking at least a week to ease myself back onto solid food and slowly decrease the juice intake. I want to be back to eating meals by Christmas time. ;) But I can definitely see myself doing a feast of 30 days or even longer at some point in 2009, if it all worked out.

Took our van in to get its windshield repaired and then had to bus (and cab) it back to where our car was parked, with a carseat and two kids in tow. Hmmmm. It wasn't a big deal, but it took over an hour in the rain (& $12.55) to go what would have been a 5 minute drive in the car, so I am feeling very grateful for the car and the ease of transportation it provides. VERY grateful. Did I mention the new car has heated seats (and mirrors) and I am just so thankful for both of those features? The heated seats alone... how did I ever live without that?! LOL

Hoping you have a wonderful day. I'm now going to try and upload kiddie pics onto dropshots.
~namaste~

Day 33 and feeling pulled in so many directions!

You'll understand how my mind is going in a zillion different directions after reading this post. LOL

Today I rowed my 5 kms in the morning (you know this is 10 days straight of rowing, and it feels fantastic; I'm aiming for 100 kms this month, which will be 20 days - keeping in mind I didn't start until the 9th, so I'll need to only take 2 days off before the end of the month to reach my goal; no problem). So after rowing, I dry-brushed, showered and made juices, had a really nice imaginary tea party with my daughter, made lunches, and got ourselves organized to go to swimming class. While the children have their lessons, I swim laps - usually a km in 1/2 hr (confession: I use flippers). ;) Today I swam 1100m, swimming the last 100m without flippers. We spent nearly 3 hours in the pool and came out like prunes, LOL.

I have been receiving SOOOOOOO many compliments lately... the guy at the gas station (who we've known for over 10 yrs): "Are you losing weight? I can see it in your face" - after which followed a hilarious conversation about how dh will REALLY appreciate my svelt figure when he returns next month. LMAO And other hl'ing mamas and people around town commenting on how trim I'm getting, how they're noticing it in my face as well, and how impressed they are with my resolve and commitment to this juice feast. I admit, I'm surprising even myself here, but the reality is that I know if I can go through just THIS moment without solid food, that I can go the entire day, and thus the entire feast without food. No problem... just need to stay present in THIS moment. And yes, sometimes that's extremely challenging. Like when I'm cooking for the kids and just want to taste how it's coming along - aromas of cooked food are addictive and enticing, but I am really committed, after 7 months - to raw vegan food. :)

Struggling with staying mindful today, given recent parenting challenges. And oh, let me tell you, it's been challenging. Phew. I keep telling myself this is a phase; it shall pass. Just stay in the moment and learn the lesson. But holy crow, sometimes that is so VERY hard to do. Was so very grateful to have a long phone call with dh tonight, rehashing the day and getting support and feedback. I am so unbelievably grateful to have him in my life.

Also struggling with how flaky I sometimes am. I feel pulled in so many different directions and find myself asking seemingly the stupidest questions, like do I do the laundry or the dishes, or do I row or make juice, or take the compost out, or wash the floor, or.... on and on. And I know, there MUST be more important things in life than whether the floor gets washed or not, but truly, there comes a time when I've procrastinated on it so very long that it seems like months since it was last washed (ewww), and I then judge myself as flaky. LOL At least I can laugh at myself. But seriously, I am an Aquarian through and through. Volunteering in 4, soon to be 5, different positions takes a lot of effort and energy and I question what I am doing, spreading myself so thin, but I'm so passionate about volunteering, not only for the benefit of the community, but also because I am empowered to be a role model for my children, and I want them to see the amazing benefits of volunteering - being a good role model is SUCH an important thing to me (I was discussing it with another hl'ing mama at swimming - how important it is, imo, to get in there and swim while the kids are swimming, rather than sitting outside the glass, chatting with the other mamas, not paying attention to what's going on in the lessons, but I am trying desperately not to judge those who choose that route, after all, I don't know a smidgeon of what goes on in their lives, so who am I to compare, but it seems to me, for my family, that I really want to be a mama who's involved, who sets an example of healthy living, of self-care, and of the value of being a role model, but I'm digressing here). Despite my desire to volunteer all over the place, my family really must come first. Sighhhh. And then sometimes I get engrossed in things... LOL like I'll get the kids to sleep and come down just to check my emails, and then HOURS later, I force myself to go to bed... or I'll work on my cross-stitch, or read a book, and then hours pass and it's the middle of the night, and while I'm certainly enjoying my time alone, I simply force myself to be reasonable and get a decent amount of sleep. It's really quite a comical pattern, but I do see how it causes myself unnecessary grief. (People who have a sense of direction in life, who know how to prioritize well, are laughing themselves silly at my self-description, but it's honestly true.) Anyways just this moment I realized I'm trying to place an online classified ad on the other tab and it's taking AGES because I'm droning on and on here about how I can't seem to prioritize my time well. LMAO It's really really funny. Thank GOD nobody's life depends on me being more on the ball. My kids are relatively clean, they sleep when they're tired and eat when they're hungry, and are developing well, and I give them my full attention at different times during the day, so I *think* all is good (isn't it?!).

I'm going to go and feel flaky, and maybe even get bedtime going. Oh, but wait - I have to volunteer at 10 tomorrow morning and I haven't got anything organized for that. YEESH. Good GRIEF. Maybe I'll just go and sit in meditation instead; let my mind calm down. ;) G'night.

Day 32

Feeling good today. BEAUTIFUL sunshine outside; the fog has finally lifted after 3 full days. There's a bunch of chickadees at the feeder outside and the stellar jays were there earlier. The kids are playing quietly, I've rowed my 5 kms today and we're just getting ready to go out on an errand (one that I've been procrastinating on for MONTHS... literally). I'm feeling peaceful and calm, and life is blissful in this moment.

Namaste,
~n~

Day 31

Having hard-drive problems with the computer lately (never mind the dial-up connection problems on top of that). It's a bit of a challenge, but I think everything's backed up on the external HD so if/when it does crash completely, I don't think we'll lose much. Technology, eh.

Weekend went very well juicing. Been rowing daily. Did Tai Chi outside in the misty fog this morning, surrounded by GREEN (you can't see another house from outside ours - very rural). Just beautiful. Hummingbirds flitting about, winter wrens, black-capped chickadees, the sound of the surf rolling in at the beach, the foghorns sounding on the ships coming up the Straight.

Watched a movie on crop circles on Saturday night, which I found very interesting. And another movie last night on the mystical yogis of Tibet - fascinating. My son's enjoying watching them with me, too, which is nice (to share something I'm interested in with him).

Made bread yesterday, which I always enjoy doing; there's something about making something like that from scratch, the kneading, the waiting while it rises, the delicious aroma, and that my family really enjoys the finished product! :) I also completed a large section on the cross-stitch, which felt amazing to accomplish. I mean, 11 yrs working on it, and to finally see the end in sight! Wahoo!

Working on developing an attitude of gratitude: learning to stay present and enjoy things like washing dishes (dishwasher's been broken for MONTHS) and even things that would normally annoy me - a child interrupting me in the middle of tai chi or meditation, a disagreement between siblings... these things I am now learning to use as reminder bells to stay mindful and present in my own body... to not react, but to respond with lovingkindness and compassion. And yes, it's VERY challenging to do sometimes. ;)

Anyways, that's where I'm at today. I'm going to go make some juice now. Hunger pangs. hard to ignore.

Day 28

Wow, it is so hard to believe nearly a month has gone by on this juice feast. Incredible. I'm down 2% body fat & 6 inches in the past 2 weeks, never mind the first two weeks. Yesterday I consumed close to 7L of juices and 1L of water. Craziness. That was a LOT of liquids, but delicious! :)

I've been meaning to post before/after pictures - here's a picture from February 2006, and then another from just a couple weeks ago. Yay for learning to honour one's self with diet, exercise, and mindfulness!!

Day 27

Things juice-wise are going very well. Day 27 today and I've had 5 very different, delicious combinations. I'm rowing every day the past 5 days (5 kms a day) and that feels great to move my body and sweat each day. Feels just great. Going to Tai Chi class tonight (missed last week) so that will be fantastic, too.

Struggling a little lately with... hmmm I've spent a few days trying to articulate this... Well, it's like I'm feeling challenged between the 'big picture' of life and the 'details' of every day living. Like, otoh, I'm asking myself, 'Who do I want to be? What do I value? What kind of person am I, and what kind of person do I want to become?', and otoh, trying to spend time contemplating those questions is being thwarted by the demands of everyday life: housework, juicing, making meals, parenting, homeschooling, etc. It's like the question is, 'How do I choose to spend my time on a daily basis?' And I guess I'm feeling challenged trying to reconcile these two lines of thought, between staying present and mindful in the moment, and giving myself time to sort out what I value in life and how I can live a life in accordance with my values. Writing the family's annual Christmas letter that goes out in the Christmas cards helped a little to see the accomplishments of the past year, and also helped me see that I have chosen to do things in alignment with my passions and interests (and therefore values): completing the 9 day cob workshop in June, the Master Composter certificate, Reiki Level 1, Tai Chi Instructor Training... all good things to have done, all in alignment with where I want to be headed in life.

A few days ago I was feeling challenged with honouring my self when I feel I am lacking resolve. How do you get yourself to exercise, or continue with the juicing, or whatever it may be that you do to honour yourself, when you're feeling less than motivated? I actually began questioning why I was even bothering with the juice feast at all, struggling to stay conscious of the benefits I've attained so far. So I made a quick list of those benefits: clearer skin, radiant eyes, weight loss, shiny hair, less gray in my hair (no kidding - I think it's from the E3Live), the huge benefits of releasing toxins that have been stored for many years (27 days = 9 years of released toxins!), and the benefits of wanting to declutter and finish unfinished projects, which in itself is HUGE. So overall, I got over these feelings (I think it was simply hormonal detoxing going on) and feel much better about things now. But it's been a week. I attribute part of it to the full-moon. :)

Well, that's all I have time for at the moment. I'll hopefully get the dial-up connection at home restored and will be able to get up-to-date in internet world soon. Have a good one.
~n~

HUMP DAY!!!

Today marks the half-way point on my juice feast! Day 23. Another 22 days to go (I'm planning on 45 days). I cannot tell you how RELIEVED I am to be half-way. The past few days have been very challenging for me mentally. I am struggling to stay liquitarian and away from solid food, and I'm moody. A serious grumpy pants. And nobody enjoys being around someone like that. Thank goodness my children are super-unconditionally-loving and understanding.

Today, to honour myself, which has been a struggle lately, as I've been feeling some pretty serious anger towards myself (what's THAT all about I have to wonder), Today I rowed 5 kms, I did a set of tai chi, nice and slow and really really concentrated on it, I gave myself Reiki this morning for a solid half-hour, I took time to be really present while preparing my juices, asking for blessings upon the ingredients as I washed and rinsed them, and then while consuming the juices. It was a nice break from the self-berating, ranting and tirading I'd been inflicting upon myself and my surroundings. Aye-aye-aye. Or "OY" as my sister would say.

Had tea with my daughter's godmother (and namesake) this afternoon. She's in her late 80s and is perfectly delightful and I really enjoyed her visit. I nearly completely forgot about spraying the entire kitchen earlier with juice (I forgot to put the lid on the VitaMix, hit the power button, and wowee, a full half a litre of juice sprayed EVERYWHERE - all over my clothes, my face, the counter, the window, the curtain, the ceiling... Quite comical after the fact, to be sure, but in the moment, as I was trying to get out the door to go for tea, well, not so comical just then).

I have more to write about my mental struggles as of late, but it'll have to wait until tomorrow (sorry to keep you hangin') :) DS is waiting to peruse sears.com as apparently they have more toys on there than are in the Wish Book. LOL (Don't get me started on how we really don't need more toys in this house)

Just before I sign off, let me just take a moment to say that I am truly grateful for the challenges I've experienced today, for their lessons in patience, self-discipline, and self-awareness that they've brought.
Namaste,
~n~

Day 20

I was re-reading Angela Stokes' A Juice Feaster's Handbook (an essential resource!), and in it, she writes to expect some "big changes" around Day 20. Well, last night, I cleaned my laundry room. Might not seem like much to you, but let me tell you... it was BIG. It is also our recycling area so I sorted through all the recycling (soft pastics, cardboard) and got it all ready to leave the house on recycling day. Then, when I was through with that (and that took QUITE some time), I still had an abundance of energy, so I started cleaning... the oven. I mean... WHOA. My children wanted to know who stole their mom. Even I admitted to them it felt very strange to (a) have so much energy and (b) be interested in decluttering and cleaning my house. Very strange indeed. I tackled a few different rooms and then woke up early this morning (like, before 5 a.m.) and was up and about by 6. I made vegan organic peanut butter muffins (sounds odd but they're good) for the kids for breakfast, had the woodstove going and spent some time working on my counted needlepoint. I mean REALLY people - what more evidence do you NEED that life changes are happening around here?!?!? LMAO Let me put it in perspective. I began this particular counted cross-stitch in Dec 1997. Over a DECADE ago. Mind you, it's a very large and complicated piece, and in the intervening years there has been grad school, children arriving, life... so it's not like I work on it regularly. In fact, I can't even recall the last time I pulled it out. But all of a sudden, as I'm detoxing my body here, I have this insatiable need to start decluttering my house, to finish unfinished projects. It's probably not surprising to most people, but it is very very strange to have such a strong desire to clean/declutter arise in me. LOL I spent time doing Reiki this morning and it is very centering and grounding an really gives a good intention for the day.

THEN... we're over at Grampa's and a little wren flies into the window and is, seemingly, departed on the ground below. He goes out to see and it is not; he holds it in his hands to warm it up, help it shake off the shock, and I gave it Reiki, and within minutes, it flied off on its own. Heart-warming, especially on Grampa's birthday. :)

So yes, extended family are here - 10 of us in all for dinner - only I'll be having a litre of juice. Celery, fennel, lime, rainbow chard, cucumber, arugula, ginger, pear, apple, and carrot, with E3Live, to be precise. It's an odd combination, I know. I juiced the first three together, then the next three, then the last four, then mixed them all together (possibly not the greatest idea; I'm only beginning to grasp the concept of "simple combinations" LOL but I have not yet warmed up to the possibility of green juices without SOME kind of fruit in them). Still, the juice feast, here on day 20, is going fantastically well, and although I do *think* of food occasionally, that's all it is. A fleeting thought. I am looking forward to making some raw pasta with a nice tomatoey sauce or pesto after this is all over (maybe over the holidays), or a nut burger with portobello 'bun' and jicama fries and some raw ketchup... mmmmm..... but for now, that will all have to wait. 'Cuz I'm full of energy, I'm in a frightfully hilarious mood, and I'm a juicing FIEND, my friend.

Peace.
Out.

Day 18

I spoke with computer guy last night (he DID move!). I left the computer in the cold car overnight and this morning plugged it in (as he & I were going to walk through the BIOS set-up and see if it was still recognizing the harddrive). When I brought it in and set it up, it started just fine. As if nothing had happened. Bizarre. But I am so very VERY grateful. And I will be running out to purchase an external HD today to back up all my data onto. And a UPS at the same time, for that matter.

I was just telling my sister that last night I awoke in the middle of the night with my root chakra just alight with energy. For well over 10 minutes, honestly, it was just alive. Very neat sensation. I have been self-treating with Reiki morning and night since the attunement on the weekend. Will continue to do so as it certainly helps me remain more mindful and focus my intentions. I am enjoying, and grateful for the blessings in my life. And for blessings disguised as challenges. :)

Day 18 going fabulously well so far. Had a litre of lettuce, pear, and ginger with some flax oil and E3Live to start the day. Still not loving the flavour of the hemp oil (thankfully finished off the bottle, and no, it wasn't rancid at all), but have moved onto a new bottle of flax oil. Much more subtle flavour. So I make the juice in the VitaMix blender, strain it through a nut mylk bag (or actually a paint strainer bag from the local hardware store), and then put it back in the blender to really blend in or homogenize the oil. After that, I stir in the E3Live. I am actually REALLY enjoying the E3Live in my juices, which a few weeks ago, I really did not. At the moment, I'm probably having several tablespoons of the algae every day. I'm hoping it will turn my increasingly gray hair back to light brown, or even blonde?! LOL

OH! MOST exciting thing to share - the excema that I developed on the back of my left hand is going away on its own!!!! This is SOOO exciting! So apparently whatever toxins my body was releasing have now gone on their way (with very little or no treatment necessary - just a little lavender essential oil on it occasionally) and I'm feeling fantastic about that. I just love the idea that my body is releasing things that it has been holding onto for many years. Here we are, Day 18, and that is (quick math here: you cleanse 120 days for every day of juicefeasting, so that is.... um.... oh geez.... someone help me out here.... okay, so that's now 6 years I've gone back. WOW. 6 years ago, what was going on in my life? What kind of negative emotions and thoughts and toxins was I storing up - and I'm now releasing?).

When I think of how much *I* have changed in the past... decade... it really astounds me. I am in SUCH a better place now. I feel good about myself. I like me. I like who I have become and I am happy and content and more self-aware. I like to think I handle stress a lot better now (although maybe the recent computer troubles shows differently - LMAO) and am generally more pleasant to be around. ;) I really have to give thanks to my family, my children especially, because they have taught me SO much about staying present and about unconditional love... towards yourself and and for others. They are such a blessing in my life.

Well, I ought to sign off and get on with things. I'll check in again soon.
Adios.

Day 17

The past week has FLOOOOOWWWWWNNNN by. What with Hallowe'en and the kidlets, we were busy getting costumes ready and anticipation and excitement were building (as you can well imagine!). Hallowe'en night we had 13 trick-or-treaters, and for those who know where we live, that is certainly a record! Our kids went to about 8 houses locally, then to some friends' on the way to Grammy & Grampa's - our final destination for the evening. They had a rousing good time and both ended up with upwards of 5 dozen pieces of candy from just 10 houses. One house handed out candy from China, which was confiscated, what with the recent melamine media reports/etc.

On the weekend I took Reiki Level One, which was... Fantastic. Absolutely incredible. I felt highly energized Saturday night, but also once in bed, slept like I've never slept before, awakening refreshed and ready for Sunday. My Angel Card at the end of the course said Purification, which I laughed about. I mean, here I am, in the middle of a CLEANSE and I blindly pick a card that says Purification. Too funny. Just before I picked the card, I asked, "What will I use Reiki for now that I have completed this course? How can I use it to benefit my life and the lives of those around me? Where do I go with it from here?" And that was the answer: Purification. Love it. There is so much about the universe we truly cannot ever understand, eh.

Sunday night I was on our computer and in the midst of typing three different emails simultaneously when the whole thing just went black and rebooted itself... or attempted to. Apparently ds (who I asked not to) had left his Sim Theme Park CD-Rom in the drive and without FAIL it ALWAYS causes serious computer crashes. I tried several times to reboot with no success, even leaving the power supply unplugged overnight - to no avail. Trying to get ahold of computer techy this morning was interesting as his email is on the computer, and his phone number came up "not in service". AARGHHHH. So I call 411 and they give me the same number I just called that said NIS. (Is Telus completely stunned?!?!) I had a brainwave and went on the old computer and managed to get online and find the company website and yes, his # has changed (probably to a Shaw # which is why Telus 411 doesn't know anything about it. I mean, REALLY - how helpful is 411 if it only gives you Telus #s and not also Shaw?!?!). I also grabbed his cell # and email. So here I sit, at the computer at the library, attempting to send him a distressed email. After all, I can't imagine "Boot Disk Failure; Insert System Disk and Press Enter" is a good message to get when booting up. To make matters worse, ds feels terrible that he forgot to remove the disk, and I feel crappy b/c I haven't yet backed up our vacation pictures... since the last time the computer crashed. (not good not good NOT GOOD) I even tried to Reiki on the computer, but that too, did not revive it.

But Just for Today, I Will Not Worry. Just for Today, I will not Anger.

Juicing is going very well. Day 17 today. The past week has been good; nothing major to report. Into the groove, getting juices made ahead of time if I'm going to be out on the road running errands/etc. and that seems to work just fine. I think it helped immensely that I had been cleansing for 2 wks previous to the Reiki attunement, and that I will continue to cleanse for the next 4 wks afterwards. Certainly I am abstaining from meat, dairy, all cooked food, nuts/seeds/etc. and am just having raw, organic vegetables and fruits juiced.

Received some concern last week from well-meaning people in my life (who I know love me very much and are simply concerned) that this juice feast is dangerous. I am working hard to accept that their opinion is different from mine; I feel more educated on juicefeasting than they are and have not embarked on this cleanse without forethought. Besides, as I said to someone else in my life, if at any time I felt like it was no longer benefitting me, I'd stop. Simple as that. I mean, I'd hope that those close to me would know me well enough to trust me on this one. Do I generally behave irresponsibly? No, I do not. I believe I am achieving optimum health through juice feasting. But apart from their concerns, everything else is going well with the juicing.

I'll try to post a little more regularly this week; hopefully I can get the 'puter fixed asap.

Today I am grateful for the lessons in patience I'm learning.
Namaste,
~n~

Day 12

It's Wednesday, and everything's fantastic! I juiced up: red leaf lettuce, parsley, cucumber, celery, carrot, apple, pear, ginger, lime, and fennel this morning and mixed it together to make 4L of juice. That will last the day; I might need to make another L later; we'll see.

The last couple days I've developed excema on the back of my left hand; it's terribly itchy and I keep telling myself it's a detox reaction and that my body will heal itself when it's ready. The other detox symptom I'm having is roseacea on my face; at times my face will be fuscia - REALLY bright and red. I'm glad to be going to Reiki Level One this weekend; perhaps that will help my body release the toxins it has stored up and make this a gentle detox. :) Got a body fat/body water scale yesterday and was a little surprised at the reading, but it is good to have a baseline. Interesting that the naturopath has done as much as he feels he can in terms of helping me cleanse; I'll continue with the juice feast as long as I feel it's helpful (probably 'til Dec 1st or so), as I think there is more that *I* can do. And the one big big key that is missing in my daily life right now is daily exercise. A year ago I was rowing 10 kms a day, 6 days a week. The past year (partly because of surgery; mostly because of laziness), I haven't rowed hardly at all. I really need to exercise regularly and I think it will help immensely for detoxing.

Went to Tai Chi class last night which was good; although I dreamed about it afterwards, too. LOL

We're just at story hr at the library (the kids are in Hallowe'en costumes - very cute!) and are heading to swimming this afternoon (I'll swim a km while the kids are in lessons). We are also putting together two shoeboxes for "Operation Shoebox"; another homeschooling family's church supports this cause - the filled shoeboxes are collected and distributed to underpriviliged children around the world. And then we're off to pick-up our weekly produce box at the local organic farm.

Yesterday we were at the local Nature House for the annual salmon run. Thousands of salmon come up the river to spawn; it's quite something to see (and smelly, later on in the season!). We had an organized fieldtrip with a park naturalist who told the children lots of stories about local First Nations' history and the salmon. It's a beautiful, protected park area and is a joy to take the children into nature (reminding me of Richard Louv's book, Last Child in the Woods - excellent read). We are very very fortunate where we live to be surrounded by large expanses of natural beauty.

DH is home in 53 days. woooo hoooooo.

Story hour's nearly over. Have a great day! :)

Dreams

Having some pretty vivid dreams on this juice feast. Last night, one of them (I have a few every night that I remember), I was in a pool with my dd. We were swimming with kickboards, and for some reason I turned my back on her. When I turned around to see her, the pool surface was flat - not a ripple anywhere. Instantly, I knew she hadn't gotten out of the water; she was under it. I swam along the edge to the other end of the pool, and then I saw her, on the other side, on the bottom of the pool. I did this huge dive down and made it to right beside her. Holding on with one hand to the ledge, with my right arm outstretched I tried to reach her... she was right there in front of me, yet I couldn't reach her. I heard her panicked crying for me underwater, "MOMMY! MOMMY!" I ran out of air and had to surface. No one was in the pool room but I knew there were people (incl a lifeguard) in the adjoining room and was just about to scream for help when I woke up. Thankfully it was morning already, because I did NOT want to go back to sleep, back into that dream. What a horrible feeling that was - being so close and yet not being able to reach her. Upon waking, I realized that my biggest fear in life is not around finances or anything else; it's me being responsible for losing my children, it's my fear that i can't keep them safe every second of every day.

What a way to start the day, with adrenaline pumping through you like that. :(

Day 10

Things are going great. At the moment I'm printing off Hallowe'en colouring pages for my youngest, getting the oldest set up on a computer game (I'm hogging it right now, LOL), making veggie stirfry & brown rice for the kids for dinner, and juicing (yes, all these things at once - multi-tasker-extraordinaire!).

Today's Juices:
Romaine Lettuce with a little Pear and ginger (1.5L)
Carrot-Apple-Ginger with Spirulina added (1L)
Cucumber-Pineapple-Celery-Red Pepper with just a little carrot (1.5L)

Yesterday I spent the afternoon outside in the glorious autumn sunshine with my daughter, in the garden/greenhouse, harvesting corn and planting garlic. Afterwards we made pumpkin pie from scratch, and I tried a juice that was pumpkin, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. I guess I'm not used to the taste of raw pumpkin; it was alright, but not outstanding, imo. I'll have to give myself time to adjust to the flavours of raw foods in their entirety. ;) And yes, it was a little hard having a pumpkin pie in the fridge, staring me in the face every time I opened it. LMAO Tomorrow we'll take it to Grammy & Grampa's for dessert. They'll appreciate it and it will be out of my fridge.

That's all for now. DS is waiting (fairly patiently) for the computer.
ttyl
~n~

Day 8

I had a post from Day 6, but something was up with Blogger that day so I'll have to post it later when I get a chance. So today's Day 8 and I am really into the swing of thing with juicing. I have had 3L of juices today and 1L of water and I have another L of juice prepared for dinner already. I am working on sourcing affordable, organic greens and will start growing sprouts at home as I have everything I need for that already. But everything's going really well overall. People look at me like I have three heads when they see me drinking out of a mason jar and when I tell them I'm on a cleanse/juice feast, but I'm not letting strange looks bother me. ;)

I'm really starting to get a sense of... well, it's hard to describe. A few months ago, during tai chi class, I had this moment of awareness where I saw everyone in the class as their skeletons. (Sounds weird, I know) It was this thought of "Wow, underneath whatever we look like on the outside of our bodies, we ALL have the same internal structure! And when doing tai chi, I can really see now how we are working to maintain the flexibility and health of our bodies." It was a really powerful insight for me and stayed with me for many days. Well, now I am starting to feel... not like a skeleton, for I'm no where near that thin, LOL, but more like I simply have an awareness that I'm no longer a plus-size person, I'm no longer obese. I have a real sense of my skeletal structure, of how it supports me. It's no longer covered with as many extra inches. And that is a huge change in my self-perception, as you can imagine.

Today's juices:
Juice#1 (1L) - yam, carrot, apple, ginger, cinnamon
Juice #2 (2L) - chard, celery, carrot, apple, pear, ginger
Juice #3 (1L) - spinach, celery, carrot, apple, ginger, lime
(Wow, that's carrot/apple/ginger in each one. But the ginger is soooooo nice this time of year when the weather is cooling off, especially with the cooling, cleansing effect of the greens on the body.)

Oh, and the herbal supplement Cascara Sagrada has a VERRRRRRYYYYY strong effect on my body. WOOOOOOOOOWEEEEEE.


'nuff said. ;)


To Your Health,
~n~

Day 4

Good day of feasting today. We have been out/on the road since 8 this morning so I will be GLAD to get into bed tonight. I took the cooler and juices out of the freezer with me today and I can't say I enjoyed the kale-cabbage-green bean-celery-carrot-apple combination. Green Bean does NOT make for a delicious juice, imo, at this moment. Maybe it'll grow on me. Anyways I did enjoy the celery-carrot-apple combination and did get my whole head of celery and 2 lbs of greens into me already, which is great.

Other great news is that my checkup with the naturopath went fantastically well. I'm on homeopathics at the moment, simply to assist the cleansing process (I started them 6 weeks ago). 6 weeks ago I needed 1 amplification on the vega testing. Today: none. Which means that my system is running more optimally, essentially. Also, all previous indications have improved significantly. WAHOO!!! I was pretty pleased.

Feeling a little hungry at the moment, but it's probably just that I consumed most of the juices earlier in the day, as opposed to yesterday, when I left them until later in the day (4-7 p.m.; not a great time to be downing 3+L of juice). Definitely, I must try too be consistent throughout the day - sipping a little every hour or two, for sure.

Overall, though - no detox symptoms and I'm feeling great. I'm heading to Tai Chi class tonight and will continue on this feast with vigor! :)

Juice Feast Begun...

Well, officially I have begun my juice feast. I am now on Day 3 (if you don't count the two days previous where I drank 4+L of juice daily but still ate minimal amounts of food - a banana and some carrots sticks one day, for example... so really, those are nearly juice feasting days as well). Anwyays, the past two days I have had no solid food whatsoever. I am making some really yummy juices, including one that I just LOVE that is from Angela Stokes' book, The Juice Feaster's Handbook (available at http://www.rawreform.com/): Pineapple, celery, and red pepper. who KNEW this would be such a delicious combination?! (well, Angela, for one - LOL) I am SO grateful to have her book to turn to. It is such a wealth of knowledge and experience packed into it. I'd highly recommend having it beside you if you attempt to juice feast.

So far, no massive pangs of hunger. I did go on a nutritional analysis website one day and calculate out if I was meeting my RDAs through juicing and was delighted to see that I am, with just a few minor exceptions (my fat intake was low (I had 10g; they recommended 73g), and my sodium was half of what the RDA is(1000mg:2400mg); protein I had 30+ grams and they recommended 50). I was 1500 calories, where they recommended 2200, but I know that 1500 is not overly low. I have read various research that indicates people live longer on lower calorie lifestyles - like 1200-1500, not the 2000 generally recommended in North America. But good things were that I am meeting the RDAs for things like iron, calcium, potassium, riboflavin and thiamine, vitamins C & A. Oh, and OOPS, my cholesterol intake was only 0.57mg compared to the RDA of 300. I guess my raw vegan juicing diet isn't as unhealthy for you as the standard North American diet (I can't remember the last time I had Hamburger Helper or Kraft Dinner or a Twinkie).

And I had a moment of panic yesterday morning when I realized there was only one apple in the house. LOL I thought, oh noooooo, how am I ever going to get through the day without more apples?! But I did. In one juice I used pomegranate, in another I used frozen blue and blackberries, and of course there was that pineapple. So I managed.

I had considered adding my beginning measurements on here, but I'm not going to. I don't want this to the juice feast to be about weight loss. I want to maintain the focus on general health and well-being. So while I know what my measurements are, I won't be sharing them. I am planning, at this moment, to feast for probably 30 or 45 days, but will remain open and listen to my body. It may be that the best decision will be to end it early. In any case, on day 3 already, I am successfully juice feasting as we speak. :)

I am making sure I get an entire head of celery juiced and into me each day, as well as lots of greens (I'm aiming for 4 as the magic number: 4 bunches daily of kale/chard/spinach/lettuce blend/parsley - dark leafy greens). Apart from that, carrots are cheap here this time of year, generally. I bought two large boxes of org. apples recently and have them in cold storage at a friend's. I am finding cucumber juice is really helping clear my skin up (one long english cucumber juiced daily), but certainly do find the green juices very cooling on my body, so I am using ginger in the juices to warm up, and am not opposed to a glass of warm water with lemon juice and a little cayenne as well. That, and a hot bath or shower. :) I realized that pomegranates are quite expensive to be juicing at $2 each, as are pineapples and cucumbers, really, as well, at over $2 each. I calculated one day at nearly $30 of produce that I juiced, so that's not really affordable for many people on a long-term basis ($900/month per person for groceries?!). So I'll have to remember how affordable celery and carrots are. :)

Other than juicing, I completed the first half of the Taoist Tai Chi internal arts and methods Instructor Training on the weekend and really enjoyed it. I also did 10 minutes of sitting meditation both morning and night and a set of tai chi daily for the past 4 days and am amazed how effortlessly the discipline is coming to do this, and how much I'm enjoying it.

My favourite new kids book is called Peaceful Piggy Meditation by Kerry Lynn MacLean , that we picked up in Halifax at Drala Books on Grafton St (http://www.dralabooks.com/). Absolutely LOVE this book and so do the kids. A must-have, imo, for families. :)

Namaste

~n~