Welcome, Lucky!

I'd like to extend a warm welcome to the newest member of the... flock, Lucky. Lucky is a 5 month old Auracana-cross rooster who has come to join the girls here on the homestead ("the girls" being 11 Sussex hens, also ~5 months old). Lucky is very lucky to be here, and not in his ex-neighbour's soup pot this very day, which is where he was destined had we not gone to pick him up. We'll see how he adjusts to his new home; I've never had a rooster and frankly, even though he doesn't have spurs yet, he frightens me just a little. I think a few people think I'm crazy for getting a rooster. "Why?" is the most common question when I mention we have one now. Well, it was the kids' idea. They've raised the hennies from day-olds this past spring, and now want to hatch out more chicks; they want to see a complete lifecycle of a chicken, I guess. They also want our new puppy, who's also 5 months old, to one day have puppies for the same reasoning. All in good time, my friends, all in good time.

I've been experiencing some leg cramps lately... like while swimming today. I am quite certain it's something to do with being dehydrated, so I drank like a fish (LOL) from the fountain at the pool and had another L on the way home, and still more water later. It is certainly possible it's due to dehydration; today I consumed: 3L of water, 1L of green juice and some acai herbal tea, so not as much liquids into me as I'm aiming for (certainly not much before swimming anyways). It's kinda hard because to get the goal of at least 2L of water and at least 4L of juice, I feel like I have to keep liquid in arm's reach alllll day, and that can be cumbersome when you're trying to live your busy busy life. Still, the juicing continues. Day 30 today. So close to being 1/3 of the way through! ;) (cheers herself on)

I honour you.
~n~

Laughing at myself

ha ha ha ha ha Okay, sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself. Like me. Today. I post earlier about how I need to focus and just buckle down and get some things done. Shortly after, I go and lock my keys in the car, with the radio going and the puppy in her crate in the back. OOPS. But immediately I just chuckle to myself about how silly that was. No anger. No shaming myself. How odd, I observe. Luckily, a phone was nearby and I called the towing company and they were there within 15 minutes. YIPPEE!! And best of all, he was able to get the door open!! WAHOO!!! However, it did take about 45 minutes to get the door open, and I was shiverin'!! (thank GOODNESS for heated seats once we were in!) I don't care how long it took; I was soooooo happy to have that door open. I kept telling myself, "you know, this isn't all that bad. Sure, you're cold, but at least it's not pitch black, and at least it's not raining, or much colder than this. This isn't that bad at all." The whole time, I just had to laugh at myself. I had nowhere else to be, nothing else I ought to've been doing, kids played on the playground while we waited. All I did was stand by and offer encouragement as he tried to get into the car. And seriously, he nearly gave up at one point. Apparently Subarus are "the most difficult" to break into. LMAO Well, that's um, a very good thing. (Unless you've locked your keys inside. ha ha ha ha ha)

I was grateful I'd run my errands earlier and was able to head straight home afterwards. I was so very grateful to the tow truck driver. I was grateful I was able to laugh about the situation, in the moment.

I came home and after making some food for the children and getting them off to bed, had a deliciously hot bath with lavender oil, with some soothing music playing, and gave myself a Reiki session. It was wonderful.

And in case you're curious, yep, still juicing. A full 29 days in at this point (30 actually since it's now past midnight). Not drinking a full 4L a day. Closer to 2 or perhaps 3. Some water, and usually some herbal teas to warm up. It is what it is. This feast/fast is really challenging a lot of my thoughts and patterns and I'm very grateful for that. Getting clear on what needs to be released, and learning to just let go. Easy to write, hard to do... very hard. But it's where I need to be right now. It's what I need to be doing. Of that, I have no doubt.

In loving appreciation,
~n~

Seeking Clarity

I wish I had clarity of thought. Honestly. My brain feels a little foggy. Actually, I think it's always like this. I think what I really have trouble with is setting priorities and making and following through on a plan of action. Not my strong suit.

Sure I could read self-help books about it but actually, I don't know how motivated I am in this moment to change how I behave. Hey, at least I'm being honest with myself. LOL It's one thing to recognize patterns in yourself; it's quite another to feel ready to change.

Alright. I need to focus a bit and make sure I get what needs to be done completed.

Channelling positive healing energy for all.
Namaste'
~n~

Workin' Girl

I'm a workin' girl tonight... LOL, nooooooo not what you're thinking... I'm working in Grampa's office, doing the books for his company. And I'm terribly behind. As in.... MONTHS behind. Honestly, I don't know how people, mothers especially, balance work and home life. I'm in a rather pathetic situation. This only requires about 4 hours a week and here I am, at least 12 -20 hours behind at the moment.

There's so much I'd *love* to do - start writing regularly for an online magazine or writing e-books, raw food coaching, catching up here on the books, or build my Reiki practice, or spend more time harvesting the potatoes and farming in general, not to mention my skills working with cob, and compost pick-up. I have so many varied interests that could all potentially bring in an income.

But how do I BALANCE it all with raising children and keeping a home and looking after my health and so on? How do you DO it, peeps?!?! I'm completely in awe of anyone who can balance it all. Reverent awe.

And that is where I leave you. Because I'm so far behind, I really shouldn't be blogging. LMAO

The Journey

We were at the beach on Thursday, soaking up the early autumn rays, kids frolicking in the creek which carves a new path each day through the sand to the lapping waves as they roll in... and out. Another homeschooling mom and I had the afternoon to just... chat. And it was bliss. I totally enjoyed the connection, the conversation. A full three days later, and I'm still feeling so grateful for it. (smiles)

And inevitably we started talking about homeschooling. And the question came up: "What do your days look like?" Oh yes, I remember. I remember embarking on our homeschooling journey, five years ago, with the burning curiosity to know.... what do you do all day? I wanted to ask every homeschooling family I met. Tell me, tell me. What does your day look like? Are your children sitting at the kitchen table writing essays and completing math textbook questions for hours at a time? Are they playing Lego in a house that looks like a tornado's just ripped through? Is the laundry folded? Are the dishes done? Are you June Cleaver when no one's watching?! Tell me, please tell me. I need to know.

Or so I thought I absolutely needed to know. LOL We embarked on our first year of homeschooling, feeling very unsure of how others were doing it, of how we were "supposed" to be doing it. Our online teacher that year was a true angel. She gave me reassurance with a regularity that puts Metamucil to shame. LOL She met me where I was at on this journey. She was a saint. Next year, we continued with the same OLT, only now my confidence had blossomed. I no longer needed such regular contact and reassurance. We did our own thing and met the requirements of our distance learning program. Year 3 I wanted a change and switched DL programs. Our new Learning Consultant was also new to their program. We danced the dance together throughout the year, learning each other's styles and the program's requirements. At the end of the year, I sat with our homelearning journey so far and sought Guidance what to do next. I sensed that I needed a new LC to further my growth as a homeschooling parent. I needed someone who would help me observe my children as their learning unfolded. So I searched around and have been blessed to find the LC we`ve had for two years now (last year and this). This LC is precisely what I was seeking. Supportive, intuitive, connected... she has such respect for children as Beings. She has guided me to further growth in all aspects of my parenting. She walks beside me on this homeschooling journey.

My journey has been about learning trust. I have had to trust that my children will learn what they need to learn, in a personally meaningful way, when the time is right. I cannot force my children to do something they're not interested in. I have had to learn what values I live my own life by, and what values I want my children to absorb. I've had to learn about my own shortcomings, had to deal with them and embrace them as a part of me. It hasn't been easy. But it HAS been worth it. AbsoLUTEly. ;)

So what do we do all day?! LOL Well, a bit of this and that. Really, we just LIVE. We do things that need to be done - caring for pets, collecting eggs, folding laundry and washing dishes. And we play. We play games, we read books, we play toys. (the collective 'we', LOL) We go to classes, go on fieldtrips, hang out at the beach with our homeschooling friends. And I observe. I observe my children learning in a completely natural environment, in a way that they are guided to learn. It's really simple. And I know we're on the right track when we all achieve Flow. We are all feeling like yep, this is it. This is where we're meant to be in this moment. And THAT is bliss.

You've Come a Long Way, Baby

I need to post (or re-post) "then and now" pics of me, because sometimes I forget how far I've come. The first was from Feb 2006, the second from September 2009.

How did I lose so much weight? Exercising. Drinking water. Eating a vegan (and now raw vegan) diet, which meant eliminating meat and dairy, and subsequently all cooked food. I generally abstain from alcohol (as in, I can count on one hand how many drinks I have in a year, quite easily). My exercising, initially, consisted of rowing 10 kms a day, 5 days a week for the first year, as well as 90 mins of tai chi class once per week, and 1 km swim once a week. Now I row 5 kms a day, 5 days a week, more tai chi (one 90 min class, two 60 min classes each week), and I usually swim 1 km a week still. How much water do I drink? I aim for 2L; sometimes I drink as much as 4, sometimes as little as 1.

Last year I juice feasted for 45 days. This year I'm aiming for 92 days and am currently 26 days into the feast. When I'm not feasting, my diet consists of raw, living foods: green smoothies, nuts and seeds, vegetables, fruit, superfoods like goji berries and maca powder and camu camu berry powder and the like.

Yes, I've come a very VERY long way in the past 3 1/2 yrs. Just needed to give myself a little pat on the back for making so many drastic, lasting changes. My health has improved so dramatically. Yep, I done good. Real good. LOL

Day 26

I'm at a loss at what to write about. Everything's going fine. There's a lot going on, life's pretty busy right now and there's some stress floating about which is a little hard to deal with, especially when you're juicing and trying to create a bubble of positivity around you, so that you can fully utilize this time juicing to heal and cleanse. But, it's not the end of the world. Everything will sort itself out. [Just for today, I will not worry.] It's a beautiful sun-shiney day here, a cool autumn day. It rained overnight and the tent, which I'd been trying to dry out so I could pack it away, is now wet again (aargh); hopefully today in the sun it will dry out again. Yep, there's just a lot on my mind in this moment... I'll just sit with it all, wrap it in a pink bubble of loving-kindness and compassion, and send it off to the Universe with a little sticky note attached: "Please, would you mind dealing with this? In Gratitude, ~n~"

Yep, that's what I'm gonna do. And right after, I'll go make myself a blueberry, lime, E3Live drink. :D

Oh, and before you get the impression I'm not loving my life fully in this moment.... I want to share that I went to Laughter Yoga class Thursday morning. I *LOOOOOOOVED* it. BOY, did I need to laugh!!! Full, belly-jigglin', ab-achin' laugh. A whole hour of it. It was wonderful. I'll be going to drop-in on the weeks I can make it. :) And I taught tai chi yesterday, and that, too, was wonderful. I am so happy for the opportunity to teach, and for the continuing class I was able to attend beforehand. I *love* tai chi! :)

Right now, I am grateful for:

- my dd, her hugs, authenticity, sweet songs, giggles, and love

- ds, for his maturity, sensitivity, playfulness and spirit

- dh, as we dance through life together, guiding each other towards growth

- the puppy, who follows me around like a shadow, who loves her raw treats, who adds so much to our lives

- for sunshine and fresh air

- for green juice and the abundance of organic fresh food we have available to us

- for my health and the health of those around me. We are all very, very healthy.

- for my body.... for my light, lean, healthy being. I honour you, Body.

- I know that money is not the be-all, end-all of life, but I am truly grateful for our financial stability and security and for the many comforts we are surrounded by. Many of our needs are met through our financial situation. We are indeed well-off. But most importantly, we have each other. We have companionship, family, love for one another. We spend time together - sharing meals, playing games, doing yardwork, playing at the beach. Yes, life is very good in this moment. Very, very good.

Namaste'

~n~

Image from here