Vacation Ahead!

Soon we will be heading to the East coast of Canada. We'll be visiting the four Maritime provinces: Newfoundland/Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia & New Brunswick. Everyone raves about the "fall colours", so we'll be expecting to see some pretty fantastic foliage while we're there. Other things we are hoping to experience include some of the world's highest tides in the Bay of Fundy (and maybe whale watching there, too!), the Reversing Falls in Saint John, NB, the world's longest covered bridge in Hartland, NB, Magnetic Hill in Moncton, NB, Anne of Green Gables in Cavendish, PEI, as well as Confederation Bridge (PEI), the Citadel in Halifax, NS, the Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Island, NS, and probably other things as well, like going gemstone hunting on the beaches near Parrsborro, NS, and going to the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site in Baddeck, NS, as well as Fort Louisburg National Historic Site in Louisburg, NS. Of course, Oktoberfest is on in Lunenburg, NS, so maybe we'll head down there and see the Bluenose II! :) Lots to see, lots to do, and a very limited time to do it all, so we'll see how much we accomplish. It's all about the journey, anyways, so it doesn't matter too much if we don't squeeze all these sites in.

Juicing again today - it would be nice to make it a once-a-week thing. It feels great to be on juices, yet I do get my fair share of, shall we say, concern from well-meaning people in my life about how "healthy" it is.

Yesterday I emptied one of my compost bins that was done and spread the finished compost under the fruit trees (apple, plum), bay leaf tree, and around a special fir tree and huckleberry bush. Two wheelbarrows full came out of the compost, which is great. I'll harvest the other compost bin in the springtime.

Other than that, it's a beautiful sunny (yet cool) autumn day here. Laundry is on the line, I've got all my juices for the day made, dishes are done (dishwasher is STILL broken), and it's the first day of ice skating lessons for the year. Later today I'm hoping to can 20 lbs of peaches, which should be 2 batches (14 1L jars). Yesterday we fixed the deck glass that's been broken for a couple years (had a piece of plywood over the hole) and also the leaking bathroom roof vent (thankfully a quick easy fix, if we've done it right). Very grateful to get some maintenance done around here, especially before 'monsoon season' starts.

Laugh of the day: DS and his buddy were playing outside... a game they made up called Samurai Soccer. If the goalie doesn't do well, the samurai soccer player comes and kills him (they're 8 yr old boys; as much as I try to redirect their play, it always seems to come back to this; as long as it's imaginative play and doesn't include physical contact, I try to let them have a safe outlet for their energy, which yes, includes some play like this). So anyways, Grampa's the unfortunate goalie and says, well, what happens to me if I die? Do I get to become the soccer player and you become the goalie? DS says, oh, well, if you die, you either go to heaven or that other place. His friend says, That other place? DS says, you know, you get to be reborn. Grampa chuckled to himself: so those are my two options, I either go to heaven or I get reborn?! Both good choices!! :) It was too funny.

Colour Therapy/Baths

Nearly all of the following is directly from the Colour Energy Corporation's brochure (www.colourenergy.com) - try a colour bath!! Safe for kids, safe for you, natural, organic, non-toxic...

Colour is pure energy. Each colour of the rainbow has a different frequency and power which reaches you through light rays. Light stimulates oru body's endocrine system, which is connected to our energy centres (chakras). All organs, body systems and functions are connected to these energy centres. Light consists of the seven colour energies: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet.

Our body absorbs light energy for nourishment on a daily basis. As well, our other senses can receive additional colour energy through a balance of different coloured foods, herbs, vitamins, aromatherapy, sound, minerals, clothing, decor and colour bathing...

Innately our body communicates with water...

Light is our most important energy source and light is an array of colour energies. Each colour has its own language that affects us physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

A little info about how each colour may affect us:

Red: Root Chakra - Connects us to our Physical Self, Vitality, Courage, Self-Confidence. Red stimulates life energy. Helps build inner strength, security, vitality and will-power. Red is the grounding colour. Combine with Ylang Ylang or Sandalwood Oils. Gemstones: Blood Jasper, Dalmation Stone, Snowflake Obsidian.

Orange: Spleen Chakra - Connects us to our Emotional Self, Happiness, Confidence, Resourcefulness. Brings joy to our workday and strengthens our appetite for life! Orange helps remove inhibitions. Melissa or Orange Oil. Gemstones: Tiger's Eye, Carnelian.

Yellow: Solar Plexus Chakra - Connects us to our Emotional Self. Wisdom, Clarity, Self-Esteem. Gives clarity of thought, increases awareness and stimulates interest and curiousity. Yellow energy is brain food. Rosemary or Bergamot Oil. Gemstone: Citrine.

Green: Heart Chakra - Connects us to Unconditional Love. Balance, Love, Self-Control. Helps relax muscles, nerves and thoughts. Cleanses and balances our energy, giving a feeling of peace, harmony and renewal. Eucalyptus or Pine Oil. Gemstones: Aventurine, Jade, Unakite.

Pink: Heart Chakra - Connects us to our Universal Love. Love, Kindness, Consideration. Helps to remove all unwanted aggression and irritaion. This energy helps to protect and to give peace of mind. Rose or Rosewood Oil. Gemstones: Rose Quartz.

Turquoise: Thymus Chakra - Connects us to our Expression. Confidence, Oratory. Helps us to strengthen concentration and control over speech, allowing freedom of expression. Helps build the immune system. Tea Tree or Clary Sage Oil. Gemstone: Turquoise.

Blue: Throat Chakra - Connects us to Holistic Thought. Knowledge, Health, Communication. This is a mentally relaxing colour. ideal for sleep problems, stress or hyper-active children. Hormonal balancer. Gernaium or Chamomile Oil. Gemstone: Blue (Lace) Agate, Sodalite.

Indigo: Brow Chakra - Connects us to our Unconscious Self. Intuition, Mysticism, Understanding. Strengthens intuition, imagination, psychic powers and increases dream activity (keep a journal and pen on your bedside table!). Patchouli or Frankincense Oil. Gemstone: Amethyst.

Violet: Crown Chakra - Connects us to our Spiritual Self. Beauty, Creativity, Inspiration. Purifies our thoughts and feelings, giving us inspiration. Enhances artistic talent, creativity and ideals. Lavender or Jasmine Oil. Gemstone: Quartz.

For more on colour therapy, look into Aura Soma (google it). It's quite fascinating.

The information provided does not substitute professional medical advice and care.

Kai-yi (21 Sept 1999 - 26 Sept 2008)

Running on High.... Emotions, that is.

Wow, talk about an emotional day. Yesterday I noticed that my dog's tumour was, seemingly rather suddenly, substantially larger. He's a 9 yr old chocolate lab. He's had this growth for a couple years and his vet had said it was "too close to the heart to remove". So he's been living with this 3" growth dangling from his chest (yes it looks as weird as it sounds). In the past week, I'd guess, it has begun to grow again and now has tripled in size - it's the size of my fist. That can't be good. Also, he's lost his appetite (sure sign something's amiss). So I called our cat's vet today and took him for a second opinion. This other vet feels that he COULD be operated on - remove the tumour and send it for a biopsy to see what's up with it. As if having a massive protruding tumour isn't troubling enough, he also has allergies. So his skin is flaky and dry and itchy, he has very little hair on his face and tummy and the poor dog - he's had such terrible health problems for the past 5 yrs. There's more to the story, but you get the point - the dog is not in optimal health for his age, by any means. For the weekend, I'm going to try and keep him comfortable (he's having trouble lying down because of the size of this growth) and we'll see how things go. Life with pets is wonderful - they share such love with us and it gives us an opportunity to focus on someone else other than ourselves - which I think is pretty important to our own growth. But reminded of their mortality (and ours!), as they often don't outlive their owners, it can be quite challenging to deal with our heightened emotions surrounding suffering and loss.

So it's been a rather emotional day... I just keep reminding myself of the idea that grey clouds and rain storms are just that - above the clouds the sun is always shining and the sky is a beautiful cloudless blue and it's warm and brilliant. I never actually realized that until I took my first flight on a plane when I was about 12. That one realization changed my perspective on life soooooo much. I don't need to create drama around the emotions; they can just be and there is no need to judge them or create attachment to them. They are there; they will pass. Life is great. Life is now. Today I'm feeling really grateful for my dog sharing his life with me. He's a wonderful being. :)

On the raw food side of things, I've been consuming mostly juices for the past 3 days - 4+L on Tuesday, 3L yesterday - more than 2L today (plus 2L of "ultimate smoothie"). It feels really good and I can tell there is some pretty good detoxing going on.

Going to Tai Chi tonight which will really help relax and ground me. And I'll sleep SOOOOOO well afterwards. Yeeehaaaaaaaaaaa.
Love y'all.
~n~

Here's a picture of our yard - I made a roof frame (of sorts) for the garden and put poly on it to make it a kind of greenhouse for winter. I meant to take a picture of what's growing in it - raspberries, strawberries, corn, 3 types of kale, 3 types of broccoli, cabbages, chard, prize choy, silverbeet, parsley, a few herbs, some nasturtiums...
The Chrysanthemums by the front door:
The Nasturtiums on the path to the front deck:

My One-Day Juice Feast

I'm very pleased to say that I made it through an entire day yesterday on juices (yes, it really CAN be done!). Officially, I guess I did a one-day juice feast! :) I made a lot of juice in the morning so that I would be able to just get something whenever hunger struck throughout the day. I made different mixes of kale, celery, beetroot, romaine lettuce, carrot, apple, and plum juices (nice rainbow, eh). I feel really good about the amount of greens that I got into me.

In Dr. Walker's book he says that kale juice, like cabbage, can cause gas to bubble up in the intestines as it allows the waste matter to release and be carried out. I don't know that I could actually drink a glass of it straight (but what he says is quite true)!

It was amazing to me, that even just one day of juicing could cause such massive change in my body - not only the effect of the kale juice, but also the mucous that came pouring out (sorry if that's tmi)... I couldn't decided whether it was the cold I thought I'd been fighting off or a detox symptom. I'm quite sure it was detox though because the odd thing is that there was a little sleep coming out of my eye corners (during the day) and my sinuses were quite plugged by the end of the day, but fine this morning (and if it was a true cold, I'd expect it to be the opposite).

The other minor thing was that I was so COLD. I know it's only 14 C outside and our house is a cool 13 inside (might be time to fire up the woodstove soon), but I was chilly. This is not the first time lately I've experienced this, and at the advice of a good friend, a nice hot bath warmed me up. The naturopath has me on this white 'alkalizing powder' (heaven knows what it really is) which I take with warm water twice a day - it feels really nice to have something warm to drink when you're chilly.

Monday night I stayed up until 3:30 making travel plans. I simply wasn't tired and felt invigorated after having a pink bath (which aids in releasing anger and aggression, helps to build compassion and loving kindness) with rose essential oil and rose petals - sounds extravagant, doesn't it! And despite staying up half the night, I was up at 8 without too much struggle. Last night, however, I slept solidly from 10:30 until 8:30 this morning - a solid 10 hours. Usually I'll get 8-10 hrs of sleep, but it'll have been disturbed at least once, between the children & the dog. It felt wonderful to have an uninterrupted sleep of that length. I used to have issues with sleeping in (thoughts like "what a waste of your day! get up and get going!") but I have since learned to see it as very restorative and important for good health and well-being, and I must admit I live a rather pampered life that I rarely get up to the buzzing of an alarm clock.

I haven't yet "broke the feast"; this morning I'll be having some cantaloupe juice to start the day. Maybe I'll just keep going on this fast for the time being. Just taking it one moment at a time...

Communication Skills

I've been thinking lately about the importance of good communication skills. Have you ever experienced conflict or controversy? Do you ever reflect on (and take responsibility for) how you could learn to communicate better?

I like the work of Marshall Rosenberg on Nonviolent Communication. It is a great (in my opinion) framework for good communication and can be learned and practiced by children. Another good book is Robert Bolton's People Skills (which is recommended by La Leche League). I took a couple Group Behaviour courses when I was at university, which were really helpful in understanding how I behave in groups and in conflict.

I am learning, as I grow through life, to speak mindfully. I try to stay conscious of which thoughts I'm having are judgments and I consciously set them aside. I know that I don't always speak up when I'm feeling stress or conflict in a relationship. (btw, here's a red flag: I read that holding in resentments can actually cause cancer. CANCER, people. Do you see how important it is we learn to communicate well?!) I have a difficult time initiating conflict. Conflict isn't seen as a good thing, most of the time, even though it is such a great opportunity for growth and for a deeper relationship to develop. Often, I'll talk myself out of it - well, that's your opinion, this is mine, I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. Is that the ONLY solution? Is it an ACCEPTABLE solution? Often not, and yet, sometimes we're so entrenched in our opinions and judgments that we have a very difficult time seeing (and respecting) others' opinions and working through to an acceptable resolution. (I will ask myself, WHY am I holding on so dearly to this judgment/opinion? Why can't I just let it go? It's an opportunity to examine why we are willing to give this judgment so much energy).

When I was a kid, I was easily overwhelmed by difficult emotions. When I got angry, I'd stomp down the hallway and slam my bedroom door. Eventually my parents took the door off my room as punishment. But that didn't help me sort through my heavy emotions. Then when my dh and I moved in together, when conflict would arise, I'd grab the keys and head for the door. "I just need some time alone," I'd say. But the reality is that when I went for a drive, or a jog around the lake, or just out shopping - whatever your crutch may be - that I'd return all refreshed but still have to deal with the conflict. I'd attempt to sweep it under the rug, but would never actually come back, sit and resolve it. He has helped me see the benefit in talking through these difficult emotions - in giving each other the space to have emotions - no judgments on them. This has been critical for my growth - learning to respect myself and the other person as human beings, and seeing that "I am not my emotions," and that emotions aren't things to be feared - I like to think of them as clouds, passing across a brilliant blue sky (which is more like the truth of who I am, and who you are). No attachment to the emotion - whether it's happiness, sadness, anger. They just drift by. There's no need for me to create drama around them.

Giving others the respect we all want and deserve can be difficult if we're just in a casual interaction. If you're driving down the road and buddy cuts you off, you don't even know who he is, so you figure it's alright to lash out and release some anger on him - you might tailgate or swear or give him the finger. But how does any of that help? When someone cuts me off, I can now say, geez, I didn't feel safe when he did that, but maybe he's on his way to a family emergency, maybe he's having a really hard day; he's not intentionally trying to take it out on me, not intentionally trying to make me feel unsafe. But what if someone IS intentionally trying to infringe upon your boundaries? How do you learn to initiate conflict and resolve it? This is really challenging (for me, anyways), but I do recall reading about it in Rosenberg's work - I should revisit that.

For me, communication skills are so KEY to our growth, both as individuals and within Community. Learning how to interact well with others is so important; it's a wonder why as a society we don't value it more - why isn't it a part of our daily fabric? a part of what we pass along to our children? Something for all of us to mindfully keep working on, always.

Spinach, Celery, Carrot & Apple juice. Mostly there's celery & spinach in this.

Cob Ovens

Yesterday I spent the day building a cob oven at a one-day workshop. It was so much fun! I wish I had taken pictures, but instead I was in there, getting dirty. The base had been completed before we arrived, but we finished the base off with (building) sand and then a layer of silica. Upon this, we carefully measured and placed the firebricks that would become the cooking surface inside the oven. Then we calculated and formed a sandcastle on top, essentially - a form made of sand that would become the oven's cavity. Once the form was covered with wet newspaper, we began to mix cob and placed 3" layers of thermal cob (clay, sand, no straw) around the form. Covered completely, we went on to mix cob with straw and added another 3" layer. At this point, we were finished the workshop, but next week we can come back and plaster and remove the sand form. Oh, I didn't even mention the oven door. It's cute. I picked up the Kiko Denzer book, Building an Earthen Oven. It's an excellent book with lots of details and illustrations.

So now I've read lots about cob, gone on several tours of various cob buildings, and have gone to a couple workshops, becoming an active participant in building community and actually getting dirty. I feel like I'd be capable of building something myself, like an oven, and then possibly a bench. I just don't have an image of what I want the oven to look like when it's done... a frog? a bird? any other ideas?

Juicey Juice

I have been reading again (I'm sorry, was that a collective groan I heard? LOL)... I read Angela Stokes' The Juice Feaster's Handbook and I must say I really enjoyed it. I picked it up after reading Aleesha's rave review of it (http://www.timelessspirit.com/). There are some really practical tips on juice feasting, she shares her experience with her 92 day juice feast, and it was really really well-written and comprehensive. My one comment would be that the typset is quite small (no, no, I don't need glasses) and if she ever reprints it, I'd vote for a larger sized font. And one other thing I would enjoy seeing is it printed on environmentally friendly (100% post-consumer recycled?) paper. It may be; at a quick glance I didn't see if it said anywhere what it's printed on. But overall, those are really petty things and I am not going to distract from the wonderful message of which Angela writes. It is a really valuable resource.

The other book I am reading I picked up at Angela's talk last week in Victoria - it's Fresh Vegetable and Fruit Juices: what's missing in your life? by Norman Walker (Dr.). I was amazed that it was originally published in 1936 and printed annually until 1970, and this copy was a 1978 print. Isn't it amazing how people have known about the benefits of juicing for so many decades already? Another really good, practical book. Goes through each individual juice and talks about the benefits each juice brings. Also has guidelines for combining juices (eg. 10 oz spinach to 6 oz carrot). I'm still reading about the benefits of each juice. Another excellent resource (but Angela's writing is easier to read, like a friend having a pleasant conversation with you, imo).

Angela-la-la-la-la's Talk

Last night I headed into town to hear Angela Stokes, of www.rawreform.com, talk about her experiences on raw food for the past 6 1/2 yrs. I had planned on leaving my children with a friend, when at the last minute, she decided to come with me, so her husband (to whom I'm very grateful) took on the childcare responsibilities for the evening. It was wonderful for her & I to get out together as we haven't had the opportunity in far too long.

Angela's talk last night was fantastic. She is well-spoken and appeared at ease in front of the larger (~50) crowd. She shared her story, her journey to raw foods, shared her top tips for staying raw, and talked about the emotional journey that can accompany a diet of raw foods. I think for me I was really glad to hear her experiences with travelling and raw food (especially with our upcoming holiday and knowing how I struggled to stay committed to raw foods on the road trip in the summer - lack of planning there) and also the social issues surrounding raw food - how do you have a social life on raw foods (check it out on you tube; she's a very good singer!). All in all, a really inspiring evening.

I remember before going raw, I had already been vegan for 2 yrs. I had taken the occasional day in there to go raw, so I knew, while contemplating going raw (and I was very much inspired reading Angela's site & blog), that I could manage for a day. But more than a day? an entire week? well, I wasn't sure if I could make it that long. In retrospect, knowing I could go an entire day on raw foods has saved me. Every moment, I am reminded that yes, I can make it through just one day, just one meal. And what is life but not a series of days or of moments? That's all there is to it - just one meal, one moment, one day at a time. Next thing you know, I've been raw for nearly 5 months and counting....

Thank-you Angela for your inspiration and for being a role-model. So nice to meet you! :)

World Breastfeeding Week: Oct 1-7

I have volunteered as a local La Leche League Leader for 4 years now. Over this time, I have been able to offer information and support to more than 5 dozen local families as they begin their parenting journeys. LLL offers mother-to-mother breastfeeding support. Locally, we offer home visits and telephone support, as well as monthly meetings.

October 1-7 is celebrated in Canada as World Breastfeeding Week. Despite the World Health Organization's recommendation that infants be breastfed exclusively for 6 months and then, with food being introduced, continued breastfeeding to 2 yrs and beyond, it often doesn't happen. In Canada initial breastfeeding rates are over 90%, yet by 6 months, they've dropped below 30%. In my opinion, we do not live in a society that supports breastfeeding.

La Leche League Canada - Sooke (http://groups.lllc.ca/view.php?area=British+Columbia%2FYukon&group=Sooke) is celebrating WBW with two local events. First is the Annual Walk to Support Breastfeeding, which will be held Oct 2nd, 10 a.m. at Ed MacGregor Park. Please consider making a donation; contact me for more information (post a comment).

Our second event is to participate in the Global Breastfeeding Challenge. More information is available here: http://www.babyfriendly.ca/challenge/index.php More than 194 sites globally have been registered. At 10:45 on Oct 11th, at the Reading Room Cafe in Sooke, we hope to have mothers and babes arrive. At 11, they will latch on simultaneously, along with other mothers and babes across the globe.

Please consider supporting La Leche League Canada. It is a registered charity and can give tax receipts for donations $10 or more from Canadians. More information is available at www.lllc.ca

What are your health priorities?

I'm just curious. I'm at a place where I've gone, from 3 years ago, being rather unhealthy and 60+ lbs heavier than I currently am, eating the SAD, not exercising, etc., etc., to a place where I have learned the importance of near-daily exercise, discovered the joy of at first a vegan diet and now a raw-vegan diet, and all the accompanying healthy-ness that comes with that. One of the more profound 'side-effects' of my increased health has been the lightness and happiness with which I face life. I feel so much more optimistic and generally more stable and calm and able to handle the waves of emotion that come. And that's a huge huge change. If that's what eating raw and exercising give me then that is wholly worth it.

What else am I already doing to benefit my health? Fairly regularly I practice Taoist Tai Chi, which I think is really super-beneficial (one of the benefits that everyone seems too modest to mention is the boost to your sex-life. If more people knew about this benefit, I think you'd see even more people practicing Tai Chi - LOL) Also I recently began a course of homeopathics after visiting the naturopath and have begun B12 sublingual supplements. I spend time in the sunshine, and I try to connect with the earth through simple gardening and composting.

I'm at a place where I'm contemplating what further steps I can take towards optimal health. So the things I'm contemplating are:

• a reverse osmosis system for purifying and alkalizing water. I've found ones between $500 & $750, so I'm just trying to justify the cost, even though you can taste the chlorine in our water some days (yuck).
• digestive system health: some raw foodists rave about colonics/colon hydrotherapy and enemas and others are against them. I'm just reading information for and against these treatments, and I think there's even an upcoming night class at the university on it.
• I'd love to have more regular massage treatments (inexpensive ones can be had at the local (reputable) massage school) and also go for Reiki and Aura Soma, and even take Level 1 Reiki.
• I'd like to make it a habit to do sitting meditation, especially now that I've got a special corner set up for it.

I'm certainly not obsessed about my weight but I can easily stand to lose more. I think technically my BMI is at 29, which is overweight, bordering on obese, if I'm not mistaken, but this is down from a BMI of 34 just 2 1/2 yrs ago, so things have improved drastically. I've dropped my weight by 23%. I don't know what % of body fat I've reduced, and it really doesn't matter exactly what that number is. It's about my overall health. And I feel a lot healthier.

What things do you do to benefit your health? What are your health priorities? Drop me a line or leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you. :)

Daily report

This past weekend dd & i went to a gem/mineral place and found some beautiful crystals: amethyst, clear quartz, turqoise, citrine, chrysoprase, aventurine, rose quartz, carnelian, snowflake obsidian, blood jasper, goldstone, and more. Lots of fun. (I had been reading a Reiki book that talked about using crystals during attunements and which crystals resonate with which chakra; i'll try to post about it before I return the library book). We got some colour baths (if you're not familiar with these, you're missing out), and a special trip to Cafe Bliss downtown - yummers. Raw yam chips with salsa, guac, & cashew sour cream, and a smoothie for each of us.

Quick update on my health: it's been 5 days now on the homeopathics and i am doing fine - no major changes to report. i am noticing some minor changes and am struggling to find the motivation to exercise daily, although i KNOW i can do it effortlessly when i choose to. so it's a bit of a struggle - I'm just feeling less toned than I was, say, a year ago when I was devoted to exercising 5-6x/wk, but I've been struggling since just before my surgery earlier this year with motivation. i'm ensuring i get at least 1 juice drink in a day (i had 1L ultimate smoothie today & 1L of juice: carrot/beet greens/apple). also got the Juice Feasters' Handbook (by Angela Stokes of http://www.rawreform.com/) in the mail today, so that's a great read. Looking at finding a used rebounder, not only for my own enjoyment, but also for the kids to use. My girlfriend found one locally for $20 in great shape, so I'll have to keep my eyes open.

the Ultimate Smoothie

Last week I watched some YouTube clips with David Wolfe, who was making "The Ultimate Smoothie". It's actually delicious. I will share with you here what I've made:

water, I suppose I put in 2-3 cups. David used the water & meat of 2 young coconuts; they're hard to find around here and they're not local produce -LOL
1 tbsp raw cacao nibs
1 tbsp raw cacao powder
1 tbsp raw cacao butter
a handful goji berries
a small handful (~12) raw cashews
1 oz/2 tbsp acai liquid
~1 c frozen blueberries (local)
~1 c frozen raspberries (local)
2 bananas
2 frozen wheatgrass juice cubes (from ZenZero in Courtney)

Blended in the Vitamix, this makes 1.5 L of smoothie; enough to last 2 "meals".


Today I am grateful for the warm sunshine
I am grateful for a weekend alone with my daughter
I am grateful for my raw diet
I am grateful for my very nice car
I am grateful for my marriage and a loving husband

A visit to the naturopath

Today, for the first time in six years, I went to visit the naturopath. I just wanted confirmation that I'm vibrantly healthy, and to tweak my metabolism a bit. I've only been raw for 4 months now and I feel like I have learned so much about good nutrition in the past few years, but there are moments I find myself doubting that I am getting all the nutrients that I need in my diet overall. Well, I was reassured to find out that yes, I am healthy, and of course we can tweak things a little to get to an even higher level of health. Things that we're hoping to adjust (through homeopathics) over the next couple months include functioning of the pancreas, digestive system/flora of the intestinal track, adrenals... just general maintenance, and because I am looking after my body overall, it's not like we need to do a serious overhaul of anything.

It's funny because here's a list of things that he suggested would be wise for most people to eliminate; and I've already eliminated them all: drugs, alcohol, meat, dairy, wheat, soy, caffeine and other stimulants... and I'd have to agree with him that overhauling your diet towards better nutrition is better for your health than eating whatever and then coming to him and undergoing a periodic cleanse. Really, I've done a lot of the detoxing work by eating vegan and now raw/live vegan. We are what we eat, right.

Overall, my diet does not appear to be lacking in nutrients, with the exception of B12, because I haven't been supplementing regularly and haven't made a conscious effort to include foods with B12, such as algae (E3Live or spirulina, for example), nutritional yeast, seaweeds, or fermented foods like sauerkraut. So I will supplement with a sublingual for the next while and see if that helps. I don't generally take a multivitamin, and I don't see any need to start including one.

One thing that came up was the importance of daily exercise, and confession here: I haven't been committed to it this year. For 18 months I rowed on my concept 2 rowing machine near-daily: an average of 10 kms, 5-6 x a week. I was seriously committed to it; I rowed 330+ kms each month. And then I don't know what happened, but I just sort of needed a break (and then had surgery). But this break has lasted far too long and I really need to exercise my will power now and get back into it daily. I do Tai Chi once a week at least (lately it's been more often than that), but on its own, it's just not enough. And when the children are in their swimming lessons, I swim a kilometer, but again, that's only 1/2 an hour, once a week. I really do need to include more physical exercise. I have always had a body that seemed to need more exercise than the average person and I've always struggled to be active enough to find a balance between calories ingested and calories burned. So I'm off toTai Chi class now.

So that's my check-in today: homeopathics, more B12, more exercise, but generally in great health.

Seed-Saving

Went to a seed-saving workshop today, put on jointly by the farm that we get our box through and the community gardens in town. VERY informative. I have lettuce that I've let bolt (well, I didn't actually let it do anything; it did it on its own), and I am keen on saving the seed. Turns out lettuce, tomatoes, and the brassica family (incl kale & chard) are easy seed-savers. I wish I'd taken photos at the workshop today that I could share with you, but there are several good seed-saving books available at the local library.

Seed-saving is important, for many reasons. The first that probably comes to mind is to keep variety in our diet's gene pool. People will comment that big companies (Monsanto, for example) appear to be buying up the seeds and then not offering lesser-known varieties for sale in the future. Statistics show that there are less varieties for sale which correlates with the size of growth of the seed companies. And the average backyard gardener or small-scale farmer (more likely to be growing organically, in my opinion) is also more likely to be savouring the taste of a potentially obscure variety of vegetable. Because you and I aren't likely to be buying thousands of pounds of seeds, it simply doesn't add up for larger companies to keep offering us these lesser known varieties - that's not where they make their money. Besides, as was pointed out to us today, there is something life-affirming in letting a plant complete its natural life cycle, in letting the plant produce seed, and in us saving it. And there is honour in having someone pass along seeds that have been saved for generations - we were told a story of a neighbour passing along heirloom paste tomato seeds, "the tomatoes were voted best in the village back in Italy for many years running" and now, 40 yrs later, the seeds are passed along to you to protect and nurture. It's community-building. And it's important. As I've said before, we all need to eat.

So I'd encourage you to check out a book on seed saving, or a website, and try it. I'll be trying to save lettuce seeds this year - my first attempt. Wish me luck.

Life skills...

Another beautiful sunny day. 14 degrees & 90% humidity in the greenhouse this morning. No, I don't know what I'm doing when it comes to growing my own food. I'm wingin' it in a big way. But the kale transplants and prize choy, chard, broccoli, silverbeet and raddichio that are in there seem happy. I do a daily slug patrol after they nearly devastated some of the plants. Hopefully the plants recover. I really want to eat fresh greens this winter, not something imported from California (or China, for heaven's sake). I have more transplants to go in the ground, but the problem is the "summer" crops haven't quite finished - the tomato plants (2 of 'em) are huge, and while they have beautiful delicate yellow flowers all over them, there are no tomatoes in sight, and being that it's nearing the end of the growing season for them, I'm considering taking the plants out so I have more space for winter crops. Same goes for the green beans and the winter squash, which doesn't have any fruit on them at all. It's frustrating because I don't know if it was something *I* did wrong (did I plant too late in the season? not water enough?) or was it just the cool summer and the fact that the deer came and munched them when they were seedlings, delaying their growth even further? Now that they're behind fence & plastic greenhouse sheeting, there is no chance of the deer getting at them, but still, I really feel uneducated when it comes to growing my own food. And what a sad statement on our times that is. Sure, I can tell you about psychology, about the physiology of your brain, I can have a debate on nature vs nurture with you, I can calculate 12% tax in my head - but I can't tell you how to grow a good crop of kale. We all have to eat. It's kind of important knowledge, don't you think?

Kind of like my girlfriend who says she doesn't know how to can food. I grew up in a house where we canned peaches, pears, cherries and more each year, so I find it odd when people my age (20s/30s/40s) say they don't know how to put food away for winter for themselves and their families. This year I canned 20 lbs of peaches, and I'm probably going to do more peaches and pears, and probably some applesauce. Nothing serious - not like the year I pitted and canned 100 lbs of cherries, 80 lbs of peaches & 60 lbs of pears. That was a crazy amount of canning, especially with the 100 lbs of blueberries & 100 lbs of raspberries I froze!

So when I think of what's important knowledge to pass along to my children, it's not the quadratic equation or where all the different First Nations tribes lived in North America, it's how to do simple, life-affirming things, like providing food for themselves - whether growing it or foraging wild food, like how to build their own shelter - and cob is great in that respect - it's pretty simple, like how to compost, and how to build our own simple composting toilet when the sewer or septic system fails. There is something to knowing how to split firewood, how to find clean water, how to build a solar oven or provide solar energy for your needs, or how to build a wind generator... these are skills that will, in my opinion, increase our ability to live more fully... a life that is less abstract and based more in reality - more in touch with meeting our life's needs.

Those're just my thoughts this moment.

Boating and Voting

Went out boating today for many hours. First time this year/season and it was very calm and absolutely wonderful. Rocking away (my eyes still feel like they're rolling on the sea) on the gentle waves. Until a rogue wave comes!!! I have no idea where it came from, but at one point, all 3 adults are simply not aware, but ds suddenly says, Grampa, Wave ahead! and sure enough, coming straight for the boat, is this wave - there were about 3, very quick in succession, and very big (says me who's used to a rowing scull which would flip on the slightest ocean wave) - they were probably 4' waves, which on a 26' boat IS pretty big - not enough to flip the boat, but enough to dump everything out of the cabinets and onto the floor, and to toss the kids around a fair bit. Luckily we had enough time to turn head on and it was still a good ride, for the maybe 5 seconds as it passed. Thank GOODNESS for the acute peripheral vision of my son!!

While we were heading down to the marina, we passed an election sign. ds asked what it was all about and we had a discussion about voting. He wanted to know how would we know what each candidate wanted to change if elected - he said he wanted to know, even though he knew he wasn't old enough to vote. So we talked about the televised debates and then he made up a game where I was the MC/interviewer/broadcaster and he & his sister were the candidates and suddenly we were having this mock tv debate in the car. DD was so funny; she said she'd paint all the houses in Canada purple if elected (her fave colour)! But soon it got serious and we were discussing transportation, housing, health care, education, the economy, energy and resources, the environment, and more... BIG issues for children to consider. DS was so eager to discuss it all, and his solutions were really innovative and creative. It was great fun... and educational. I LOVE homeschooling. ;)

Raw Food in Victoria...

Angela's coming to town! Angela Stokes (www.rawreform.com) is coming to Victoria - Wednesday September 17th, 7-9 p.m. at Cafe Bliss on Pandora (next to Mo:Le). Angela is a British raw foodist who lost an amazing amount of weight and achieved radiant health on raw foods. No ticket necessary; $10 at the door.

Speaking of Cafe Bliss, the kids & I headed down there yesterday. It was very enjoyable. The atmosphere is simplistically beautiful (I especially loved the skylights allowing daylight in) and the food was deeeelicious. The kids had the daily special smoothie (apricot, banana, and almond mylk?) and I had a Berry Green (orange, banana, blueberry, spinach). The kids also had a kids' plate with some of the most delicious flax crackers I've yet tried - tasted cinnamony with cranberries in them. I had a Sombrio salad (marinated kale, kelp, arugula, cucumber, daikon radish, grated carrot, red onion, and fresh ginger, marinated shitakes and cashews with a orange/miso dressing). The salad was really good - the fresh ginger was JUST the right touch. More importantly, watching them prepare your food, it was clearly evident they were being mindful and loving towards the food and it really came through in the taste of the food. It looked beautiful, it tasted beautiful, and was infused with love. Check it out at www.cafebliss.com at 556 Pandora in Victoria.

Happy Grandparents' Day!

Did you even know that the first Sunday after Labour Day is celebrated as Grandparents' Day? A few years ago we found out and my ds made a little book for each of his grandparents, drawing pictures of things he enjoyed doing with each of them (playing soccer with Grandpa, playing board games with Grammy). This year he decided to buy them chocolates and make them a card. It was very sweet as he picked out two of each flavour of chocolates at the store and asked the clerk to gift-wrap them for his Grammy & Grampa. I bet they will very happy to receive their gift later today. He is also going to make them dinner - Annie's organic whole wheat shells & org white cheddar sauce (Bunny Pasta; aka. the much healthier version of Kraft Dinner). Bunny Pasta is a favourite meal of my kids; I usually add a variety of vegetables to it - cut up red pepper, peas, diced carrots - whatever's around.

For me, Grandparents' Day is a good day to reflect on just how much support I get from both my parents and my in-laws. Always there for me, always supportive. They will jump at the chance to see their grandchildren and get snuggles and I really REALLY appreciate all they do for us. They are excellent role models, all 4 of 'em, and we are very blessed to have them in our lives. And no, I'm not brown-nosing. None of 'em read my blog. LOL

Happy Grandparents' Day to all the grandparents out there.

Namaste,
~n~

Superfoods

Superfoods - foods that are high in nutritional value for their suggested serving, compared to other foods. Like: a fresh apple is more nutritious than those frozen "fish" sticks shaped like cartoon characters. Agreed? I've started adding lucuma, maca, and goji powders to my smoothies sometimes. What ARE these things, you ask? Tonight I went in search of an answer. These all seem to be part and parcel of the new term "superfoods." Here's a list of foods that I would say, IN MY OPINION ONLY, are superfoods:

• SEEDS: like flax, chia, (unhulled) sesame, sunflower, and hemp hearts.
• BERRIES: blueberry, raspberry, mulberry, goji berry, blackberry, huckleberry, black currants, rose hips, acai berries, noni berry, camu camu berry... the list could go on...
• DARK LEAFY GREENS: watercress, kale, chard, silverbeet, bok choy, spinach, collards, romaine lettuce, sorrel, dandelion greens... again, the list is long.
• SPROUTS: wheatgrass, alfalfa, radish, mung bean, lentil, garbanzo/chickpea... I love sprouts! Easy to grow, and really good for you.
• CACAO: in a word, chocolate. Raw chocolate. Blissful.
• ALGAE: whether spirulina, chlorella or Klamath Lake blue-green algae, these are nutritional powerhouses at a recommended dose of ~1 tsp/day.
• NUTS: walnuts, almonds, pecans, macadamias, cashews, and more...
• AVOCADO: For you naysayers, try it in a chocolate mousse. No guarantees everyone will like it, but I think most would. High in fiber, folate, potassium (more than a banana!), and monosaturated fats, and avocado's been shown to help lower LDL levels, raise HDL levels, and lower triglycerides slightly as well.

I guess that would round out my list, at this point in time (have I forgotten any you enjoy? Leave me a comment below) - sounds like a pretty good raw vegan diet, once you add in a variety of other fresh fruits and vegetables (think RAINBOW). Let me just go over the purported health benefits of some of these super foods.

For example, maca is a Peruvian plant, similar to a turnip or radish (it's a member of the potato family), and dates back to the Incas. Rumour has it that people who consume it daily are known to be very fertile. It has sexual enhancing effects, and is said to increase sex drive and strength, AND eliminate menopausal symptoms. It is said to improve energy and also to adapt to your body's metabolism, helping repair whatever needs to be repaired.

Or camu camu: The berry from this native South American bush is said to have 30 to 60 times more vitamin C than an orange. It is beneficial to healing and eliminating scar tissue. It is a source of iron, calcium, potassium, phosphorous and other minerals. It supports your immune system, eyesight, skin, it helps maintain clarity of mind during stress. It's a source of antioxidants and is an antiviral. The RDA? 1/8 tsp. This gem is truly packed with nutrients for the quantity you consume.

Hemp Hearts, at a recommended daily intake of 4 tbsps, provide a complete protein source and is high in protein. They contain all 20 known amino acids, including the 9 EAAs (essential amino acids) not produced by the body. Hemp increases energy, promotes vigorous cell development, is easily digested, lowers LDL cholesterol levels, lowers blood pressure, increases immune functioning, and decreases PMS symptoms. It is used for treating dry skin/hair, and contains more Omega-3 than fish. It has a 'perfect' 3:1 ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 (essential fatty acids) and also contains GLA: gamma linolenic acid. It is recommended to consume 4 tbsps at breakfast time and many have said doing so alleviates all hunger at lunch, so they snack in the afternoon, have salad for dinner and contribute their consumption of hemp hearts to weight loss.

Tonight I tried a little bowl with 1 tsp each of maca powder, goji powder, raw cacao powder, lucuma powder, and then 2 tbsps raw almond butter, with enough water to make it blend smoothly (using a spoon). DEEEEEElicious... actually, it was super. Just super.

The world is spinning...

We were on our bikes, coasting down the gravel driveway in the brilliant warm sunshine, on our way to a picnic lunch at the windy beach, and my dd says, you know what's making our bikes move? The earth's spinning, says my ds!! And they both went on to say how the earth is always spinning - very fast, too, did you know - and it's simply amazing to them how we even manage to stay ON the earth when it's spinning so fast (think of a merry-go-round, for example - the centrifugal force pushes you outwards, right). pretty amazing.

A no-car day here (yes, by choice). We need those. For the environment. And our peace of mind. Worked in the garden/greenhouse, turned the compost, picnic at the beach, sang along with Rock Band... it's a glorious day!

Next time you're in victoria, I will most definitely be dragging you along to check out Cafe Bliss, a new raw juice bar/restaurant opened next to Mo:Le's on Pandora. you can check out their menu online: www.cafebliss.ca YUMMY! :) I'm so excited to check it out myself very soon.

~n~

108

It's 108 days until dh returns. There's 108 moves in the Taoist Tai Chi set that I practice. And 108 days is how long blogger Bronwyn juice-feasted for (http://juicepulpnonfiction.blogspot.com/). It made me really REALLY want to get my hands on a juicer - a Champion or GreenStar - so that I could juicefeast even for a day. And then two. And maybe even do a 15 day feast. No, I'm not ready to go 108 days yet. But I felt the same way about raw food before trying it, too ("how will I ever manage more than a day?!"), and it's been more than 4 months now. And I think of the success Aleesha's had with her fast - now into it's 6th week (http://aleeshasrawlife.blogspot.com). It's totally possible. Totally do-able. The 108 days will pass whether I make a commitment to greater health and vitality or not.

The Significance Of The Mystical Number 108
By Vaughn Paul Manley, M.A.
Copyright 2004.

Have you ever wondered why a typical beaded neclace from the East, called a mala, is always strung with 108 beads? You'll find this to be the case not only in Hindu traditions but also Buddhist, Sikh, Jain and virtually any tradition that has it's roots in India. If you've ever been initiated into the use of a mantra you've probably been told to chant your mantra at least 108 times a day, not fifteen minutes a day. Why? In Japan the Zen temple bells ring 108 times to bring in the New Year. Obviously this number is significant. But why not a more round number like 100?

The early Vedic sages were renowned mathematicians and in fact invented our number system. 108 was definitely the number of choice for this simple reason: 108 represents the whole of existence. Here's some interesting reasons why:
1. The number 9 represents wholeness and 108 when added together equals 9. 1+0+8 = 9. Interestingly, if you multiply 9 times ANYTHING, the answer is always 9 when you add the numbers together. Try it! 1x9= 9. 2x9=18 1+8=9. 285x9=2565 2+5+6+5=18 1+8=9. 8543x9=76887 7+6+8+8+7=36 3+6=9 The logic behind this is that 9 represents wholeness or God and God times anything is always God since God is all there is!
2. The 9 planets travelling through the 12 signs constitutes the whole of existence. 9 x 12 = 108
3. The 27 nakshatras or lunar constellations spread over the 4 elements - fire, earth, air, water or the 4 directions - north, south, east, and west. This also constitutes the whole of existence. 27 x 4 = 108
4. Consider the powers of 1, 2, and 3 in math: 1 to 1st power = 1; 2 to 2nd power = 4 (2x2); 3 to 3rd power = 27 (3x3x3). 1x4x27 = 108. The logic behind this is that 1 represents 1 dimensional reality, 2 represents 2 dimensional reality, 3 represents 3 dimensional reality. When you mulitply their powers together then you encompass the whole of existence.
5. The universe is made up of 108 elements according to ancient texts. The current periodic table claims a few more than 108.
6. The diameter of the Sun is 108 times the diameter of the earth (give or take a few miles).

Not-Back-To-School Picnic

The big yellow school bus rolled by at 07:25 this morning, and once again, my children were not waiting to get on - in fact, they weren't even awake yet. We will begin the school year by celebrating our decision to homeschool with other local homeschooling families by having a picnic on the beach. So this afternoon, despite the clouds, we will head out and join as many as 100 other families down at the beach. This will be our 5th year of attending and it is wonderful to see the familiar and the new faces each year. Attending the picnic builds a sense of community when we don't all live next door to one another. And although we may each have our own approaches to homeschooling - some may unschool, some may do 'school at home', some may homeschool for religious reasons; there are as many approaches to homeschooling as there are families who homeschool - we are all welcome to join each other in celebrating the decision we feel is right for our children.

Picking up 'school supplies' consisted of running shoes and rubber boots, a spiral logbook/notebook so I can record our daily activities and conversations and learning, and a new backpack for each child, since their old ones were worn right through. The children don't need a whack of new clothes or new pencils or certain brand names on their stuff. After all, they've been learning all summer. Just because school's not 'in', doesn't mean learning doesn't happen, and it's important for children - for all of us - to realize that.

September plans: connect with Learning Consultant and formulate Learning Plan, begin swimming lessons and register for skating, attend a one-day field trip where the kids will be doing rock climbing, archery, and orienteering...