Friday, March 23, 2018
Tuesday, March 06, 2018
Constant Improvement 2018
This blog is always under improvement, just like myself. A work in progress for sure, as I start the New Year just like most other people, retrospectively thinking of new goals for the New Year. I usually take a little more time to analyze things, and my goals have drastically changed over the years. It occurred to me, while I might like to share knowledge with others, and I also benefit from writing in general and working at the craft, sometimes keeping to ourselves is beneficial as well, especially when things feel too diluted.
It becomes somewhat of a creative writing outlet to blog and post, but the tedious research on some topics (more serious posts on weawake.blogspot.ca) and with little time to accomplish everything, it feels at times expectations are high. So I did not have time to put out more content on this blog per say, but there are others I am working on and I have come to try to do work on many bodies of work. For the longest time, I worked a part-time or full-time and also kept active here, so strange that I seem to have less time these days although motherhood is time-consuming (if you don't want to park your child in front of a T.V. as a babysitter), and kept learning and writing- thus developing more and more. Back when I started this blog, I still found more time to post regularly.
Each year I take a mini-vacation, whether it's a break to go camping or it might just be visiting folks. Well a technical break to me is no talking, not doing much or at least not doing too much for at least 3-4 days (a little longer than a long weekend), and shutting off the electronics and just focusing on my breathing and eating habits. I get to feeling annoyed if I am over-burdened by others in this time period, but anyway it does wonders if you can do this. Now that is a break, no expectations on myself or anyone else, no real high-intensity vacations that leave you feeling mentally tired when you arrive back and those times might not have the same meaning, but can be cherished in a different way. The time you were allowing of yourself to rest and reboot.
That being said, I felt a little of that since whether I wanted to or not, I had to take time off to rest and get better because I caught a fairly bad cold. Being forced to sleep is not exactly my vision of relaxing, while also a priority was taking care of my little one who was also sick. Previous to that I took time off this past December to participate in most of the local community's winter and festive activities. Just to have some fun. Jump to a couple months past the New Year, I am working on some key topics, with more clarity, motherhood still in full swing which is everything and more, and I think I have grown by leaps and bounds. I actually can "shut the noise off" just by watching how much I am asking of myself and defining boundaries on what others want from me or when. It seems easier to do this when you move to the country where it tends to be quieter, but that's another topic.
I recommend to everyone to take time for yourself, calm down, with no electronic devices (or very little), turning notifications off for some time and take time to rest and relax, indulging in the simple things or put on some light and peaceful spa music and do a facial. Taking time to relax allows your higher self to send very important upgrades to your own interface, so to speak. This has helped me in the past, now and hopefully for years to come. Cheers!
It becomes somewhat of a creative writing outlet to blog and post, but the tedious research on some topics (more serious posts on weawake.blogspot.ca) and with little time to accomplish everything, it feels at times expectations are high. So I did not have time to put out more content on this blog per say, but there are others I am working on and I have come to try to do work on many bodies of work. For the longest time, I worked a part-time or full-time and also kept active here, so strange that I seem to have less time these days although motherhood is time-consuming (if you don't want to park your child in front of a T.V. as a babysitter), and kept learning and writing- thus developing more and more. Back when I started this blog, I still found more time to post regularly.
Each year I take a mini-vacation, whether it's a break to go camping or it might just be visiting folks. Well a technical break to me is no talking, not doing much or at least not doing too much for at least 3-4 days (a little longer than a long weekend), and shutting off the electronics and just focusing on my breathing and eating habits. I get to feeling annoyed if I am over-burdened by others in this time period, but anyway it does wonders if you can do this. Now that is a break, no expectations on myself or anyone else, no real high-intensity vacations that leave you feeling mentally tired when you arrive back and those times might not have the same meaning, but can be cherished in a different way. The time you were allowing of yourself to rest and reboot.
I recommend to everyone to take time for yourself, calm down, with no electronic devices (or very little), turning notifications off for some time and take time to rest and relax, indulging in the simple things or put on some light and peaceful spa music and do a facial. Taking time to relax allows your higher self to send very important upgrades to your own interface, so to speak. This has helped me in the past, now and hopefully for years to come. Cheers!
Attribution for art:
Clip art image by Cliparts.co
Thursday, January 11, 2018
Changes
Happy New Year! As I battle through a cold, I thought I might mention where to read my current blogging work: weawake.blogspot.ca where I discuss the "weather".....some might say, among other dire topics. I have no choice but to direct my work there and it's very important.
Also, to bring you up to speed you might want to visit StopTheCrime.net
Also, to bring you up to speed you might want to visit StopTheCrime.net
Saturday, April 22, 2017
Baby and Toddler Snacks Review~ (Lots to Review)
Since my little one is enjoying more and more snacks, I thought maybe I could write my first review blog post for toddler snacks! After all, I am beginning to become somewhat an expert on the matter, with the amount of snacks and baby foods we have went through.
So, we will be reviewing baby and toddler snacks, including in the article which ones are her favourite's and also listing the costs, but I definitely advocate making your own snacks from scratch if you have the time. First off, it's a healthier snack for your child with no chemicals and you know what you are feeding them, as well as it's more economical. While every child's preferences are different, healthier snack choices tended to be a win-win with her and when she enjoyed them that made it easy to give her more nutrition at snack-time. If you have a fussy eater, as mine can be at times, then it really is great when you can pack in nutrition with a snack. With that being said, I will be posted an awesome recipe I tried and made for my little one.....we both loved them!
So far, we have tried a variety of puffs, and more of the individually wrapped bought snacks are for the "road", so I try to serve other snacks if we can such as toast and peanut butter or cottage cheese or even more small salads and fruits. But for the on the go snacks, I can put them into the front pocket of the diaper bag and load a bottle of water for the side pocket and know I have something to serve in a jiffy if we don't stop anywhere there is food, or if we are somewhere and decide to sit and enjoy the weather for a bit of time, well then I have something to let my little one munch on.
To start with, we tried more fruitful tastes, and that is the "Parent's Choice Little Puffs- Blueberry, sweet potato and also she has tried the apple flavor. She dislikes these, anytime -but once she ate some when offered. These are not organic, and so perhaps she has advanced taste buds to know this, because they get spat on the floor. At $1.97 each plastic bottle container, sorry Parent's Choice. In fact, they were thrown away because they just became another thing that went stale in the fail section. More on Puffs here for the health conscious parent's to review: Puffs Guide courtesy of "Gimme the Good Stuff" website. Noticing there are healthier options than I may have found or listed, then perhaps you can try and review some for yourself., such as Sprout brand's quinoa puffs.
Also sorry, to Love Child Organics brand because this wasn't a great snack in terms of taste. These are not a puff but a similar size for snacking, the organic banana "Toodle-O's" by this brand went wasted. I tried them too and it was indeed an acquired taste. Unfortunately, the price wasn't very cheap, now listed at $3.47 (Walmart), I found that price has since lowered since I purchased them to try, and my little one didn't prefer them at all so it's a lot of pennies down the garbage. Now that isn't to say she may like them now, if her tastes have change or something else made by this brand.
Gerber Lil' Crunchies cheese or vegetable puffs, which should be sort of healthy as they are baked and it is a toddler type cheezie, at least in my mind but try telling that to my little one. Needless to say, she did not like these too much but still would eat some of them if nothing else was offered. To be honest though, I had given her awhile to try them out and even after sometime she shunned them and wasted them on the floor, and I had tried the mild cheddar and also offered her the 'veggie dip' flavor. Both flavors could just be better, as they are sort of bland and there are certain additives in this brand's crunchies I prefer not to feed my child. Priced at $2.77 for a tub is not bad though, perhaps your little one would like them.
PC Kale and Broccoli Organic corn puffs, similar to the cheese puffs, but have more vegetable taste. She loves them! She had already polished off 2 containers. I must get more, since they are organic and healthy with greens in them- so to speak.. So these are a huge win in my books! Recommended for 1+ years old. $2.89 last year at the No Frill's store.
Yogurt bites, one of the more pricier toddler snacks in my budget seem to be a hit, since my child loves all brands we tried. I since stopped buying them though since, natural yogurt purchased from the grocery store has the more beneficial probiotics in it and is a cheaper deal. We add different flavours to the plain yogurt, according to how we feel. Sometimes some cinnamon and maple syrup or other times we may add some sweet fruit jam. So that becomes a better snack and is multi-use. There wasn't a pack that was wasted and including Parent's Choice mixed berry, Gerber mixed berry, although we don't like chemicals in it, and the prices were not cheap for a small pack so we opted to only try these a couple times. Gerber's is around $3.87 per pack and Parent's Choice is about a dollar cheaper.
Rusks, including Baby Mums (Rusks) at $2.67 and Parent's Choice at $1.98 each box, both brands come in a box and inside are the individually packages. Great for on the go snacks and can be eaten easily without choking; but that's not saying don't watch your kids when they are eating. They do need monitoring. My daughter loves flavours but more so the kale and vegetable ones. She has had a lot of other flavors like the apple, banana, plain or pumpkin ones. We are finishing up the last pack of these today actually, and I won't be buying anymore since they seem like a very young baby's snack now, though there are "Toddler Mum Mum's". I may see if I can find them and now I had a couple left, I had been putting peanut butter on them being kids need extra protein and iron and such. So my little one can enjoy a bit more protein and taste. Those 2 snacks, peanut butter and milk and most times a half banana, and she loves it!
In the animal crackers category, we have tried Mr. Christie Original Arrowroot cookie biscuits priced at $3 (which in the last while since starting this post have been recalled in Canada), Great Value Organic Animal Cookies which are sold in a box priced at $2.77, with six individually wrapped packets, and finally we have yet to try the Parent's Choice Kid's Organic Animal Cookies. Those seem more suitable than either of the previous animal cookies brands we have tried. Our box of Mr. Christie Arrowroot cookies were tossed to the fail section since they were not one of the dates that were recalled per say but very close to it. Better to be safe than sorry, and we did have some before we were of the aware of the recall of which I gave her some to try in small pieces and broken in more than two, but I am always fearful of her choking. I didn't think the texture was so great for a little one. The Great Value Organic Animal Cookies are even more hard to chew, even for an adult and so I did not give her any of those and they became my snack to gnaw away at after she went to bed. Similarly, I had a bright idea to buy Great Value Gluten Free Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies in individual packets as well, similar style as the animal cookies. They were very tough to eat, small and could break a tooth, in fact I do not think they were supposed to be that hard so needless to say I did not give those to my child at all and ate some myself but had to throw some out since they were inedible. It was not worth my while to take the time out of my day to take them back.
Some cookies were just fine but still most were hard as a rock, and some of the best in my opinion were the Mi-Del Gluten Free Arrowroot cookies which were about $3.97 and mostly I ate them. I bought them a little bit prematurely and realized my child wasn't quite ready for those, at around 8 months old. I may have also tried the Great Value Gluten Free Animal Cookies priced at $2.27 but I forget what we thought of those, if I recall they were pretty good actually.
But out of all those brand name snacks, plain unsalted crackers; with some butter lightly spread on or peanut butter is still a good go to for my child. She loves that and so sometimes, it is the simple things in life that become the ones you win with. Lately, it's been all about Joe's Tasty Travels brand Roasted and Hulled Sunflower Seeds for $3 per bag. No salt, which is good and this is the only approved "nut" my child can have at her age. Don't feed them whole nuts they can choke on, but I find these are small enough for her to manage and packed with iron and Omega-3's. It's also a good predinner snack that should not ruin their appetite since I give such a small amount. Kind of an appetiser and it gives her something to do in the high chair so I can finish getting dinner altogether.
Currently, we are trying some cereal bars by PC brand and also Walmart. My little one is eating both types, but because I find them quite sugary, I only give half at a time with some water in her cup. This I hope washes the sugar down off her teeth, as well as sustains her need for water. Generally at about $2-3 per box, they are mostly not that healthy so I would recommend if you can toast and jam before those. But they are individually wrapped for an easy portable snack.
I include some type of side veggie dish like a small salad of baby greens, avocado, fresh diced tomatoes and home house dressing., or maybe I put some avocado and grated carrot on the side or a small dish of apple sauce, and sweet pickles on a plate for me. :) Hey we all need a snack to keep away from being 'hangry'! That being said, in the last six months there has been little time for anything else BUT preparing food and meals. I have neglected the blog posts and have done other things that are better suited for my time but I will make a more dedicated announcement in the near future as to what I have decided to do and how I plan on amalgamating my on line presence in a more streamlined way!
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
My Favorite Smoothie
Years ago, I started making smoothies and juices to improve my health and energy. As long as I kept making them, I noticed my health and energy level improving. It was also to supplement my health while eating a vegetarian diet in case I was requiring so much more vitamins than I was getting. So, I became a fan of blending or juicing, and all the while I ate seasonally and mostly locally. I loved the foods I was eating and I began getting creative to make different recipes and smoothie blends.
I found a lot of juicing and making smoothies information on You Tube. So blasting together juices, at first took a long time to obtain a juicer, until I was gifted a Jack Lalanne's power juicer. It was fantastic to start off with. It required a lot of cleaning though, but I was happy to have a juicer and then I bought a new blender to also add in smoothies to my regime. So, I started on my blender smoothies full-time and it eventually replaced juicing, due to mostly time limitations of cleaning time, budget and kitchen space. Honestly, a large juicer on the counter when you only have 2 small counters seemed to be a large machine that can hamper the small space I have. If I want a special juice, I can always still make it but for the most part smoothies are quick and easy.
Another thing, is I was always dealing with pulp from the fruits and vegetables when I was juicing. It became a whole pulp project trying to make it into foods, so as not to waste it. So, I made my own pulp crackers, muffins, shaker salad spices and more. When ever I could implement some of the pulp, into recipes, that is what I did. And I had to use it up quick so it didn't spoil because unless I froze it. Before I knew, I had pulp overload!
Like I mentioned, I ended up freezing some and would store small baggies of pulp in the freezer to use in recipes and still, I would make muffins. I was starting to really like the recipe I made work, so I had some delicious apple pulp and bran fibre muffins with raisins and nuts in them. They were so healthy too, but there were just too many for me to eat since no one else at work or at home cared for the healthy food, (they preferred cupcakes with coffee in the morning, not muffins with a smoothie or a juice- ha ha), I couldn't rely on anyone to help me eat them and there was usually more than a dozen to plow through.
So, that is where smoothies became more the normal around here, as I found a break from finding ways to use pulp, or having to clean all the parts of the juicing machine. I don't have to find any ways to cook or bake to use the fruit and veggie pulp, and I don't want to be in the kitchen any more than I already am these days.
Not all smoothies are created equal. Some mixtures of smoothies taste very strong, green and healthy, or even like "hay," I have heard. So it's important to balance your flavors. Smoothies that taste like a tropical drink or chocolate milk can be made. Choco Mada Smoothie's look good, and I also blend a couple pitted dates in my smoothies. Use bananas, apples, mango, pineapple and more sweet fruits to liven up a green smoothie.
My absolute favourite fruits or vegetables to add to smoothies are pears. I like it in green or in fruit smoothies. I also like to add fennel which is a fresh licorice taste to the smoothie and is great with green apples. Beets give a red and vibrant colour, which I love using the sweeter small beets and blend up a sweet and refreshing combos. Personally, I wash and peel my fruits that are not organic, otherwise I will just scrub and wash an organic piece of fruit. I do not peel it when adding it into smoothie either unless it's something with a hard-skin. You can chop you fruit and veggies to make it easier on your blender.
I love to make different combinations that are not to complicated, such as blueberry and spinach, or banana and pineapple, or green apple and kale or other greens even using lettuce at times in place of the kale. I give my growing toddler grape and banana smoothies with hemp seeds in it. I find this is a great way to make sure she is getting more fruit in her diet, and as for grapes being a choking hazard with little ones they are not when they are made into a smoothie. I also use some bagged frozen fruit which blended with an orange works out great. Practically anything can become a smoothie and it makes a great supplement drink to the day, while using your produce so there is not waste!
A past favourite smoothie of mine was pineapple, apple, fennel and a carrot, topped with Lotus Flower pollen. This combo is amazing, and I also like the ginger in that smoothie or with an apple and carrot combo altogether. But, if you got this far along reading all my recommendations, then here is MY ultimate smoothie that I cannot get enough these days. It is super alkalising and detoxing for your body and gives me so much energy. It is half a green apple, a large handful from a bushel of cilantro. Then I blend it with either my Brain ON Nutrient Dense Aqua Botanical powder supplement (I call my gunpowder) or a couple teaspoons of pine pollen which is also green.
This is my green elixir, and while it can be modified according to what greens you have on hand, for instance a leaf of kale or the leaves of organic cauliflower or even lettuces, I gotta say cilantro is what makes it taste so fresh. Brian ON is what gives me energy and helps me to think better, and pine pollen is rich amount of amino acids, minerals, antioxidants and vitamins it contains.
So it depends what I am feeling like, or if I am trying to use things before the expiration date. As of lately, I have been saving some avocado pits to add into my smoothies. I peel them, chop them up and then they go into the blender, but to conserve the blade of your blender you can "grate" the peeled seed. It turns out the avocado pit is just as nutritious as the flesh of the fruit itself, if not more and can be used for your health when added into a smoothie drink.
Smoothies can change your life if you are suffering from different ailments such as fatigue, chronic conditions, to strengthen your immune system and overall keep you youthful. If you are new to making smoothies and eating fruits and veggies, I recommend looking into smoothies, especially green smoothies as they are super for your health!
Here's a start: Green Smoothie 101
I found a lot of juicing and making smoothies information on You Tube. So blasting together juices, at first took a long time to obtain a juicer, until I was gifted a Jack Lalanne's power juicer. It was fantastic to start off with. It required a lot of cleaning though, but I was happy to have a juicer and then I bought a new blender to also add in smoothies to my regime. So, I started on my blender smoothies full-time and it eventually replaced juicing, due to mostly time limitations of cleaning time, budget and kitchen space. Honestly, a large juicer on the counter when you only have 2 small counters seemed to be a large machine that can hamper the small space I have. If I want a special juice, I can always still make it but for the most part smoothies are quick and easy.
Another thing, is I was always dealing with pulp from the fruits and vegetables when I was juicing. It became a whole pulp project trying to make it into foods, so as not to waste it. So, I made my own pulp crackers, muffins, shaker salad spices and more. When ever I could implement some of the pulp, into recipes, that is what I did. And I had to use it up quick so it didn't spoil because unless I froze it. Before I knew, I had pulp overload!
Like I mentioned, I ended up freezing some and would store small baggies of pulp in the freezer to use in recipes and still, I would make muffins. I was starting to really like the recipe I made work, so I had some delicious apple pulp and bran fibre muffins with raisins and nuts in them. They were so healthy too, but there were just too many for me to eat since no one else at work or at home cared for the healthy food, (they preferred cupcakes with coffee in the morning, not muffins with a smoothie or a juice- ha ha), I couldn't rely on anyone to help me eat them and there was usually more than a dozen to plow through.
So, that is where smoothies became more the normal around here, as I found a break from finding ways to use pulp, or having to clean all the parts of the juicing machine. I don't have to find any ways to cook or bake to use the fruit and veggie pulp, and I don't want to be in the kitchen any more than I already am these days.
Not all smoothies are created equal. Some mixtures of smoothies taste very strong, green and healthy, or even like "hay," I have heard. So it's important to balance your flavors. Smoothies that taste like a tropical drink or chocolate milk can be made. Choco Mada Smoothie's look good, and I also blend a couple pitted dates in my smoothies. Use bananas, apples, mango, pineapple and more sweet fruits to liven up a green smoothie.
My absolute favourite fruits or vegetables to add to smoothies are pears. I like it in green or in fruit smoothies. I also like to add fennel which is a fresh licorice taste to the smoothie and is great with green apples. Beets give a red and vibrant colour, which I love using the sweeter small beets and blend up a sweet and refreshing combos. Personally, I wash and peel my fruits that are not organic, otherwise I will just scrub and wash an organic piece of fruit. I do not peel it when adding it into smoothie either unless it's something with a hard-skin. You can chop you fruit and veggies to make it easier on your blender.
I love to make different combinations that are not to complicated, such as blueberry and spinach, or banana and pineapple, or green apple and kale or other greens even using lettuce at times in place of the kale. I give my growing toddler grape and banana smoothies with hemp seeds in it. I find this is a great way to make sure she is getting more fruit in her diet, and as for grapes being a choking hazard with little ones they are not when they are made into a smoothie. I also use some bagged frozen fruit which blended with an orange works out great. Practically anything can become a smoothie and it makes a great supplement drink to the day, while using your produce so there is not waste!
A past favourite smoothie of mine was pineapple, apple, fennel and a carrot, topped with Lotus Flower pollen. This combo is amazing, and I also like the ginger in that smoothie or with an apple and carrot combo altogether. But, if you got this far along reading all my recommendations, then here is MY ultimate smoothie that I cannot get enough these days. It is super alkalising and detoxing for your body and gives me so much energy. It is half a green apple, a large handful from a bushel of cilantro. Then I blend it with either my Brain ON Nutrient Dense Aqua Botanical powder supplement (I call my gunpowder) or a couple teaspoons of pine pollen which is also green.
This is my green elixir, and while it can be modified according to what greens you have on hand, for instance a leaf of kale or the leaves of organic cauliflower or even lettuces, I gotta say cilantro is what makes it taste so fresh. Brian ON is what gives me energy and helps me to think better, and pine pollen is rich amount of amino acids, minerals, antioxidants and vitamins it contains.
So it depends what I am feeling like, or if I am trying to use things before the expiration date. As of lately, I have been saving some avocado pits to add into my smoothies. I peel them, chop them up and then they go into the blender, but to conserve the blade of your blender you can "grate" the peeled seed. It turns out the avocado pit is just as nutritious as the flesh of the fruit itself, if not more and can be used for your health when added into a smoothie drink.
Smoothies can change your life if you are suffering from different ailments such as fatigue, chronic conditions, to strengthen your immune system and overall keep you youthful. If you are new to making smoothies and eating fruits and veggies, I recommend looking into smoothies, especially green smoothies as they are super for your health!
Here's a start: Green Smoothie 101
Friday, July 01, 2016
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Green Cleaning
If you read my Current Affairs blog post, which outlined a bit of what I am doing lately you would have read that I am more into using natural products for green cleaning. So it started as part of cleaning up my eating a bit more, and in line came "cleaning up" the way I clean my home. It's better for your family too, especially babies as they tend to absorb much more chemicals and toxins than adults. I thought I would share a little about some of the things I am doing.
Some essential oils that are disinfectants and anti fungals are clove, lavender, cinnamon, eucalyptus, thyme and tea tree oil. I absolutely LOVE eucalyptus essential oil around my home as it cleans well, smells absolutely fresh and lovely, so it is very aroma-therapeutic, as well as it helps to keep the air non-toxic and clean. It also cures headaches, so there are just many uses for this stuff! I mix 5 ml of eucalyptus essential oil with a carrier oil and put it in a recycled roller ball perfume bottle, and I had kept that used bottle for a purpose such as that. Tea tree oil, is also essential around the home. If you want to make a natural fungicide, mix 2 teaspoons of essential oils with 2 cups of water in a spray bottle, and keep mold and mildew away. Similarly, using some hydrogen peroxide also works well. It prevents and inhibits mildew. If spray it on the affected area, such as mildewed grout in your shower, and leave it on for 10 minutes, scrub and wipe down apparently the results will sparkle. You can use it on your feet as a foot fungicide, but let's just hope you don't get any fungus on your feet!
I am just starting to try to learn how to make all kinds of natural cleaning concoctions around my home, but it doesn't end there! Pick up some more ideas for natural cleaning on Wellness Mama .
Have a great week!
Not only have I been using items from my pantry in cleaning agents I make, but also I have implemented them into my own beauty routine. I currently use raw local honey to wash my face and also as a facial mask. I have been using baking soda as a facial mask and gentle exfoliant for all over my body. I mix together grape seed oil, baking soda and then a few dashes of tea tree oil. Then blend well in a little jar (I use an old clean baby food jar with a lid) and keep it in the shower. It is a good antibacterial body wash, and also can be used for your face if you are having a break out. I prefer to put a little bit of tea tree oil (skin oil) directly onto any breakouts as well.
Then I mixed a new DIY facial together which is amazing! Now, I would prefer all organic, but I am not sure it's necessary as this mix worked wonders. So, using olive oil for natural skin tightening, I mixed extra-virgin olive oil with lemon juice (no particular amounts, but less lemon than oil) and spread it over my face and neck. I didn't have fresh or organic lemons on hand but I did have lemon juice from a bottle which did sting a bit. I know, it's probably NOT even lemons but rather a slurry but let's hope not so I did use only a little. I think it would obviously be better to use real lemons and extract the juice. So anyways, it's that easy and put it into a clean spare old container (I used an old vitamin bottle with top) and leave it on your face for 15-20 minutes or less, if you have very sensitive skin. There is a lot of tingling action going on. Then rinse with lukewarm water and voila! Literally you don't have dry skin and my pores looked a lot better for a couple of days.
Brushing your teeth and cleaning your pearly whites needs some toothpaste. I have skipped using fluoridated toothpaste around here. I have a tube in case of company ever needs some, and I wouldn't want them to think I was a totally natural right? Or they may think I am striving to be a lemon sniffer! They may think of me as a conspiracy theorist if I didn't have fluoride chemical in a tub around here. But on the down low, I mixed together coconut oil, baking soda and instead of expensive mint essential oils, I used peppermint extract from the grocery store to give it a fresh taste. I required it for a couple recipes I was working on anyways, so it made sense to use it for making a minty fresh DIY natural toothpaste. Now, I was running low on coconut oil and tired of buying smaller amounts for what still adds up to be a lot of money, so I tagged along with a friend to Costco! Yes, we stocked up on a 2.3 L of virgin coconut oil and I price compare everywhere here in Calgary, and it was the best price next to ordering from online. So I needed to stock up and in the meantime I was using a salt and baking soda mix together which is a formidable whitening toothpaste. It seems to work a lot better than whitening toothpastes with fluoride in them! One thing that is happening though, is I have quite a few more canker sores than usual, as well as a bit more sensitive teeth. I am not sure it's from the toothpaste though or eating more medjool dates that I so love. Ya, and bye-bye fluoride.
Something else I use baking soda for, is putting it into my favorite shampoo and it turns it into a clarifying shampoo. I mean I add it into the palm of my hand and my shampoo to it, that way I still can use either or both when I need. I also use tea tree oil on my scalp to eliminate dandruff, but I have only tried it once when I had time. I also use some coconut oil on my scalp when it's dry to avoid a dry unhealthy scalp, plus you can spread a bit on the ends of your tresses and a light amount to fight fly a-ways.
Back to home cleaning though, vinegar and water is my mainstay to keeping things looking shiny and clean around here. With a toddler getting around and smearing food on the computer keyboard or on tables, chairs and walls, I feel I need a utility belt loaded with paper towel and spray bottles of vinegar and water. I made my own DIY antibacterial surface cleaner in an older plastic container with lid (one I don't use anymore since it's not BPA free) and add regular salt, lemon juice and vinegar. Mix equal parts of salt and vinegar and a good dash of lemon juice, and you can use a natural cleaning cloth made for all purpose cleaning. If you need something on the go, add a half roll of paper towel although it's not as green of a cloth than microfibre or reusable cloths.. I Make sure there is enough lemon juice and vinegar, in fact more than the amount of salt or you will have wipes that leave a salt residue around. Trust me I know from experience and ended up using my first batch on my outside deck chairs only, due to this issue. But that aside, if you don't like the smell of vinegar, then lemon juice is your best bet, but keep in mind vinegar's smell does disappear in no time. Lemon juice and vinegar, both are good for softening hard water deposits and dissolves dirt that is built up.
Vinegar goes a long way everywhere in the home, especially when cleaning your dishwasher. It should be done once a month to avoid mold and mildew buildup. Put a cup of vinegar into an empty dishwasher and turn it on for a cycle. It should smell a lot fresher as well and helps your dishes to come out cleaner.
To wash tubs and also for fresher laundry, I am using a lot of baking soda. I cannot say all the things I use it for, because I am always grabbing more for something such as in the oven sinks, bathtubs, counters, and even deodorizing fabrics and carpets. It can be used to clean grout by mixing 3 cups of baking soda to 1 cup of water and mix into a paste. Use an old toothbrush you kept around and scrub the paste into the grout and then clean off with a wet cloth. I also use it to help keep my stainless steel Cuisinart pots and pans, clean and maintained. After all, even though I got it on sale I still want to keep them looking great. One can also use coarse salt for scouring them clean.
Vinegar goes a long way everywhere in the home, especially when cleaning your dishwasher. It should be done once a month to avoid mold and mildew buildup. Put a cup of vinegar into an empty dishwasher and turn it on for a cycle. It should smell a lot fresher as well and helps your dishes to come out cleaner.
To wash tubs and also for fresher laundry, I am using a lot of baking soda. I cannot say all the things I use it for, because I am always grabbing more for something such as in the oven sinks, bathtubs, counters, and even deodorizing fabrics and carpets. It can be used to clean grout by mixing 3 cups of baking soda to 1 cup of water and mix into a paste. Use an old toothbrush you kept around and scrub the paste into the grout and then clean off with a wet cloth. I also use it to help keep my stainless steel Cuisinart pots and pans, clean and maintained. After all, even though I got it on sale I still want to keep them looking great. One can also use coarse salt for scouring them clean.
I put tea tree oil in my floor pail with hot water, and sweep my floors and wash the floors with that. It left a clean smell and no harmful chemical residue and with a little one crawling and dragging her toys on the floor, I felt safer to think it was naturally clean. I use my vinegar and water mix to do quick cleaning on the counter tops and tables, and also if there is something sticky on the floor and need it wiped up. And of course vinegar and water is great for cleaning your mirrors and glass, but I had not previously known to add cornstarch specifically for streak free glass cleaning. Combine 1/4 cup of full strength vinegar, then 1 tbsp of cornstarch with one quart of warm water. Pour into a spray bottle and then if you don't have coffee filters to use, you can use crumbled up newspaper. I have tried making my own natural furniture polish too. Mix 1 cup of lemon juice with 1 tbsp of water and 1 tbsp of olive oil. Apply very lightly to your wood furniture and use a soft cloth to buff. This is a nice way to complete and protect cleaning your expensive wood furniture.
Some essential oils that are disinfectants and anti fungals are clove, lavender, cinnamon, eucalyptus, thyme and tea tree oil. I absolutely LOVE eucalyptus essential oil around my home as it cleans well, smells absolutely fresh and lovely, so it is very aroma-therapeutic, as well as it helps to keep the air non-toxic and clean. It also cures headaches, so there are just many uses for this stuff! I mix 5 ml of eucalyptus essential oil with a carrier oil and put it in a recycled roller ball perfume bottle, and I had kept that used bottle for a purpose such as that. Tea tree oil, is also essential around the home. If you want to make a natural fungicide, mix 2 teaspoons of essential oils with 2 cups of water in a spray bottle, and keep mold and mildew away. Similarly, using some hydrogen peroxide also works well. It prevents and inhibits mildew. If spray it on the affected area, such as mildewed grout in your shower, and leave it on for 10 minutes, scrub and wipe down apparently the results will sparkle. You can use it on your feet as a foot fungicide, but let's just hope you don't get any fungus on your feet!
I am just starting to try to learn how to make all kinds of natural cleaning concoctions around my home, but it doesn't end there! Pick up some more ideas for natural cleaning on Wellness Mama .
Have a great week!
Wednesday, June 01, 2016
Jack Hanna agrees with zoo's shooting of gorilla
Regardless of your stance on who is to blame or how the Cincinnati Zoo should have handled this situation, the fact it's not the first time a child had fell into a zoo's gorilla enclosure is surprising and maybe there could be something corrected in the design, as it's evidently flawed. I mean yes, children could obey their parents better these days too. I just feel sad for Harambe the gorilla, for it seems his life was cut short at 17 years old and that's all I have to say on it.
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Goals and Passion
Deciding to write another blog post was easy to think about......since I had said I would be blogging more seriously. But then when it came to writing it and wording it just right, well that was another story. Since I had not put anything out on my blog with a lot of research behind it for some time, I had found some challenges. Then some challenges might be for some people, that this post is a little bit of a read and the topic became quite lengthy. But hey, this post is for those looking for help with your goals and following your passion so I hope you stick with it! Disclaimer: just so you are aware, this is not a "step by step guide" on how to complete your goals or make changes in your life, unless YOU change your life. This is an article of sorts on some things to think about, to motivate, and hopefully help. Let's get going.
So, I was drawing a blank at times, there were many things I wanted to write down but the wording seemed long-drawn or all wrong at times and some may call it writer's block, but I just call it out of practice. That aside, I had motivation issues myself when it came to knowing some of the effort this post might take. In between other tasks, I had opportunities to work on some research towards this post, and sometimes I did and sometimes I didn't. You know, a nap can also take priority if we are tired. I just wanted to get some fresh ideas and I watched videos on the topic, read up on it and kept on studying and reading to gain more knowledge on the subject in general.
Today, you guessed it, I want to discuss goals and passions and how to put our energy to it. How do we stay focused and not give up when things are not so easy? "Anything worth working for never comes easy", so it is said. Yes, we work hard and it should all come together, right?? Not exactly. I think consistency and dedication along with hard work and faith can see us through. I will try to cover those points and a few more. Does following your passion have to be work? If you love what you are doing, does that mean issues will not arise and you will always love it when things are more difficult? No. If you enjoy where you are going with something or in life, it may not seem like work anymore, but even if you don't enjoy it a certain amount of work towards something also gets you going in that direction. Then you may not necessarily find the steps it took to accomplish as unpleasant....... but that's not always the feeling while we are building momentum or just starting at a new task. Just like start-up businesses take some time to get established, it should not be a constant struggle the entire life of the business. In fact, once you review how things went you may even feel they were all necessary lessons or steps, and see future matters with more wisdom and they may not be as difficult or toiling.
Then, will you always have 100% motivation to do the next thing? That being said, it does take some amount of physical and mental exertion to do things correctly, to learn and to do research, to put skills to use, to surround yourself with motivational mentors and people, and to visualize and take control of one's emotions when you feel like giving up. Just as you don't always feel 100% everyday, you must not let that stop you and take the helm of your life. One could meditate or pray to think about accepting where you are and what choices you have to improve. It is just something you have to do and then work through it. Again, controlling one's emotions by the minute can be very challenging but necessary. This has to do with accomplishing your goals and passion in life, so that you have a less difficult time to overcome it.
Personally, in the past I had quit jobs, when I allowed myself to be affected by others poisoning my work environment and my experiences. My part in it was not controlling my own feelings towards certain situations. If I let it "get to me" then that is my fault. Perhaps some people would advise to unleash themselves if you are miserable there anyways, but I believe they mean to prepare to exit a job properly as opposed to making a huge sacrifice to your finances. So, unleash your strategies and set into motion, including starting with saving and paying off any debts. It is beneficial if you find yourself soon out of employment, so you have enough for living expenses and not those same funds going to high interest credit cards.
Besides that, stocking up on essential food and other items when they are a good price is excellent and saves you not only money but also time. Time (as you won't need to shop at the store everyday), and you can use more time to accomplish your goals, or taking some time to find out what you want to focus on. That is my personal experience, so do things in your best interest before you just quit. If it gets too much and you are going to do something aggressive you might regret, then start your exit plan, and perhaps seek some counselling or talk to a support person who understands in the meantime. I understand how things can get overwhelming and how aggravating office politics are, but just think it could give you an edge to hang in there just a bit longer until you need, and in the meantime try to ignore somethings or people and do things that help you cope. Eat well and sleep well, so you can have your scruples about you. You could also try a few things first, such as set up a meeting or discuss boundaries you need to be met, and if your attempts to be reasonable and diplomatic don't work, then you can use your discretion. It is easier said than done to control our emotions and feelings, not just reserved for workplace situations. All aspects of life along with varieties of people that can be difficult, then you will need to use more finesse.
A lot of New Age beliefs say to get "into the vortex" or get happy. Sometimes, we may try to do that but feel unsatisfied. If we are always wrapped up in external things or situations in this world to make us happy, instead of being fulfilled in our hearts to be content, then we will always be searching outside ourselves. I don't think that means that we cannot want to live a good life with all we need though. Sometimes, our situations in life, health or perhaps hormones are getting us all down and depressed, feeling tired and lethargic. We may have mixed feelings some days and other days we may have a lot of clarity, but it is varying so much it's hard to stay on track and focus. In order to accomplish health goals you have to be your own health advocate. Then you can start to obtain the correct information and food and work towards better health. I will post more about this another time, but if you are looking for answers on how to have more energy and vigor, start consistently working on it.
So is it really ALL up to us to keep ourselves happy and fulfilled to stay moving forward?
Well, I believe we can surround ourselves with a good support system and practice positive spiritual practices it sets us on the right course. We should implement these things into our life to be more productive and driven in positive ways. That could be people who are accomplishing their goals and wanting to become their greatest versions of themselves in life and thus happier individuals as well, or people who could be a solid mentor to you. If we surround ourselves with these types of people as opposed to negative people who only knock us down, then it will set us up for more successful scenarios. Routine, discipline and a foundation are important in general.
Another thing that can take away time from moving forward is worrying. Worry is proven poor for your health, especially if done over a prolonged time. You cannot avoid it altogether, so it's recommended to dedicate a set amount of time in your day to worry. So, for example, choose 20 minutes when you can be to yourself and worry your head off. Then leave it alone. This way you don't spend good productivity time, worrying all day. Also, while some people may not believe in God or a higher power, prayer is also important and is to some people part of their routines and discipline. A devote (insert religious belief here), practices their faith daily. Depending on your beliefs, you might want to take up praying for guidance instead of taking all the burdens all on yourself and worrying yourself crazy. So for example, a simple prayer of gratitude goes a long way. Then you can set off on improving and not worry to solve much more. All in time, and step by step and day by day.
So if you can try to stop worrying, and do something instead, you can turn your worries into positive improvements of action. You can pamper yourself when you are feeling stress or worry, or do some relaxing yoga or simple neck stretches at the start of your day in order to better deal with stressors. Have a chamomile tea and honey and listen to some peaceful music or go to the park and walk, or see the outdoors. It does take the edge off, and you are dedicating some time for something good for yourself each day. It is part of a routine and discipline to treat yourself well in this life. Even a bubble bath with Epsom salts helps to rid your body of toxins and feel better afterwards. So, all in all, various tools or methods can help you out in order to balance energy in your body.
People have different styles of accomplishing their passions in life. Of course, there are various personality types and here is a list of them 16 Personality Types ,and I do know that there are some tactics or tools used by some successful people more than others. Less excuses is always best. I am not sure how one personality would be better than others, considering each person's strong points, but there is a constructive way to think and a destructive way to think. I had done a personality test before and found out a lot about myself. I was an INFJ type but I also lean towards other personality types. So you may want to learn more about your personality style and find out your strong or weak points or just more about how you "tick". Then use your abilities to your advantage towards obtaining your goals and passions, and be proud of yourself. Your strong points could be to your advantage, and sometimes your weaknesses can be helpful too, it can all be to your advantage at some point in life. For example, I tend to over think and then things get to the crunch and I must get them done. It could be perceived as last minute, but also it could be perceived as more informed or more organized. Sometimes, I may seem that I have over planned, but I am always prepared. I can always plan more, so everyday I step it up a level. I work on inproving my health and step up the information I obtain, to a whole new level as well. So where some people are figuring things out as they go along, some people want to research and take new ideas into their focus and then know what they are getting into. Embrace who you are and what you know.
There are some peeps who will want to give up on things before even starting. Sometimes it's hard to get going and we don't have the oomph. I get that. There is a major lack of nutrition in our food, as the soils are depleted these days (look more into that if you want) or look UP at our sky and the air is not clean anymore with spraying from planes, and thus your brain is getting heavy metals built up in it. Don't believe me? Get some blood work done and then find out for yourself by googling geoengineering. The brain is not firing the best and thus you feel lazy and make up reasons as why not to do things. I think it could be a bit of both. Brain fog can really make us feel tired as well, and there are many reasons for that. One must look into their own health and also surroundings, perhaps for mold in your environment, and see what you can do to improve for now. It can be a progression and then constant improvement will ultimately lead to the situation you want to be in.
Again, my personality type will recommend to plan, plan some more, have a back up plan, adjust your plan(s), analyze your plan, do a trial run to your plan, edit and adjust your plan again, review and then execute it. Pheuf. Maybe it's not that much, but you get that planning is part of progress. Some only need one step to planning. The main point is, you will learn things along the way when you do this, which is the opposite of not doing and not learning anything. So how much longer does it take to grow as an individual if you don't ever try to pursue your goals or start, thus don't make any progress? Given, at times there is a lot on the line everyday, in a world of losses or gains- a mistake can really cost but you can look at planning as a way of starting as well. It can happen to some people that when they "wing it" their odds are that everything turned out, but you have a better chance of actualization and more of an accurate outcome. That isn't to say, procrastination is good. Nothing will ever be perfect or the "perfect time", so use your discretion and set forth. If there needs to be fire under your step, and it's a life or death emergency then your fight or flight response will kick into gear.
Now that I am past some tedious stuff (to me)- I will write this post less "life coachy" in style. I do want to share a bit about how I get my passion brewing though. In a world that is less than passionate, unless there is monetary gain involved. I think this gives us all a mixed wrong message right from childhood. If you need money in order to feel passion about anything, then surely the direction in which your focus will be on will be about money and not about what you love. It still happens to me. I think that can drive the fun out of your endeavours. I like to do things I love, "as if" I am already making a living at it. It doesn't mean I am yet, but we keep our jobs in the meantime if necessary to pay the bills. Believe in what you are doing and help to uplift others following their passions.
You might want to note that you are working towards your goals and dreams, even when you are working a job. That is if you have a plan to make it work to your advantage. It can be a way to help you alleviate stress of money, but you can still allocate proper amounts of time to your passion. So, if your boss is always trying to make you work later and put in more overtime, perhaps it's time to make your own passions a #1 priority so you can enroll or learn what you want or join a choir or a club and so on. You can work your regular hours or some overtime but it's really important to schedule, enroll or set a specific time aside towards your passions. This is so that you know to stick to it and you can brief your work or your friends or family, or whom ever, that you will be busy with your commitments. This way they know what to expect. It may never materialize otherwise, even if that means spending quality time with family. Decide and commit to it. We all can improve at this everyday.
If you try to accomplish something that others have not thought of or heard of, then some might pounce at the chance to comment negatively. They may say how many ways will not work although they have no idea or what it entails to accomplish it. They may say it's altogether impossible. Sometimes, it is about nothing new but the naysayers will say something anyways, just to talk. Remember that. Not many people listen and they will talk over you, talk to hear themselves, talk to bullshit, talk and talk some more. So, it sounds mean in a way, but my question is, are you going to take their opinion to heart? Remember it's not necessarily as if they have had a personal experience and can forsee your future failings. Everyone's outcome is always going to be different, as you have a multitude of varying skills and qualities, not to mention opportunities as the stars align differently for us all. So there are types of people who enjoy robbing others of excitement and would rather bring other down and only offer an idle mentality to conversations, rather than be a positive beacon for others.
It is the same when some people have a lot of questions or comments, just to ask and with no interest of what the project is. Has that ever happened to you? Has anyone ever made it known they were not really paying attention to your answer, after they asked you what you do in life? It actually can divert a person's energy to answer everyone's questions. For example, you probably wouldn't see an engineer explaining everything he learned all the way up until University, to every Tom, Dick and Harry on the street especially if they were uneducated in all types of ways about the matter. No, it wouldn't be worth his while. To "catch them up" on the subject is futile and you might lose zest for it and all you will be doing is explaining and justifying. If you were going into a bank for a business loan that is different, then you have to explain your endeavour. It would be appropriate and you would put together a proper business plan and address all the pertinent information being asked, as there is something in return for your time and effort. It has to do with your endeavours and it is not meaningless time spent . In any case you would take necessary steps to prepare for that "question period". A lot of people will question how you have accomplished things in your life. The thing is there is no way to put words to it, nor do you have to and you do not owe people a summary. Actions are how you did what you did, in the long run, it took your actions to move forward. The point is you got results, so being authentic and doing your thing your way without answering to anyone is the best way in my opinion.
Back to passion. You can watch motivational videos or read books to get motivation from a mentor who is experienced and helps you to succeed. But more than motivation, where does the passion for something come from? Having a passion for something, is ongoing and you never want to stop doing it. You might take breaks and that is why getting motivated is much like showering, one must do it regularly to get the benefits and practice it in different ways. We can rely on some motivation to accomplish our goals and keep passion for them, for long periods of time. When it is self-driven and we are always seeking answers and getting curious as to the ins and outs of life, then you could say you are "hungry. That may help you to have a lot of motivation to work on things, and it could be altogether desperate. So it really does boil down to what is in your heart to do and how badly you want it. Whatever that is. Then you will do it with no excuses.
Again, sometimes there are health issues or other things in the way that stop you from feeling feeling tip-top. Lack of exercise, battling depression or an illness, that robs you of energy, lack of motivation due to mental laziness or perhaps you are around someone that is constantly negative and fighting you thus affecting energy and confidence. Factors that can bring you down are not a joke. Any of these reasons and many more, can be a contributing factor into whether you let them interfere with getting things done in your life. You might want to change the circumstances and people who are around you and thus influencing your life. It is best to make a change than to continue in a rut or a broken environment. So what do you try to do? What ever it takes. Have courage, and have faith. Action is the catalyst to all change and all chance really. It is the very thing that changes circumstances, whether the action is small or large. Don't downplay what you have accomplished and how far you have come along. Look to adjust when things are uncomfortable, and keep planning. Once you understand that it is time, you can start to get excited about where you want to go just by planning and learning about the resources around you. There is not a need to get overwhelmed, just know you are moving forward toward your goal. If you are overwhelmed just remember it is a part of the experience of overcoming and quite necessary. If you don't learn to deal with such feelings, you will not be able to cope on larger platforms or levels as you succeed. We all have to start somewhere.
When it comes to deadlines you might find that just by starting something and slowly getting into it, you start to get on a roll. I recommend starting early on any project, as there may be "unseens" that can happen and the more time you can be prepared to handle them as they arise the better. This can help to not get overwhelmed. Somethings cannot be intended and some things can, and it's essential to keep a nice pace so you don't burn yourself out. It's also good to stay ahead, for some people that seems to always be on the verge of running late. I, for one, try to stay on time by starting early which ends up being just on time. If you get what I am saying, there is always Murphy's Law to contend with or things that take more time like getting out the door to where you must be. Just try your best to save time when you can, prepare things ahead of time and multi-task when necessary; in past IAJLGOM's posts advice on saving time came up often. If that isn't helping, then perhaps you can look into your time management or tools and apps that can help you with that. Delegating tasks that you can or paying someone to take over in certain areas could help as well.
Just like exercise goals, health goals are real but although nutrition is important, it can also be unreal to some. It becomes real when you start to lose your health, Don't just try out diet fads, trends or exercises that fall in line with results that are trendy. Get real nutrition into your body and stick with nourishing yourself, giving yourself a fighting chance to obtain good health and healing any underlying conditions you might have. So don't base your exercise and health goals on end results that you actually don't want yourself, but feel you now must accomplish because you see it in advertisements or your friends are doing it. Back in the 90's, it all of a sudden became the rage to be waif thin and this was due to a lot of supermodels were that skinny, and posed and were promoted in magazines and on television. Ask yourself why do you have to be skinny or a certain way? Does it mean you will be healthy or does it mean you will be unhealthy and jeopardizing yourself? I would avoid diets that promote that, and rather choose to be healthy and fit. Here is a past IAJLGOM's post on some ways and ideas to boost your energy level so you can stay on track: Energy Boosters .
Sometimes, it might not look like anything is getting done but then it all comes together in the end. Progress is progress. Give it your best and then don't worry about it, knowing it is in the works. For example, if someone wants a scarf for winter, they might try knitting a scarf for the first time in which they may make a lot of errors and get the yarn tangled up many times. Where if they want to complete the scarf in time for winter, then they will fix their mistakes and forge ahead. They may find they don't have time to complete knitting, maybe they will decide knitting isn't for them and go and purchase a scarf at a store, or they might mention to someone the need of a scarf. Perhaps that person decides they have one too many and gives them a scarf. Either way, it's trying different avenues that bring you to your end goal. In this case a scarf. Repetition and trying different things can tend to work out to your advantage.
If your passion is love for example, as some people are always looking for love even "in the wrong places", well you can see them doing what they love to do all day, everyday- without lack of energy. Whether it is a short term or long term relationship they find themselves in, nothing else will mean much to them except the hunt and chasing for love. Perhaps they meet someone new all the time and fall in love easily, then they tend to start looking for love again even if it is elsewhere. It is the feeling of love they are addicted to, but you should note the focus they have on what they want. It can be all consuming to some people and I don't mean to say their focus is balanced, but for what they are working towards is really a passion of theirs and they do keep finding something that feels like love to themselves. I assume one day or other they will find true everlasting love- with themselves even if for a moment.
There are many ways to defeat yourself and quite a few ways to succeed at your goals and passions in life. We all have different methods. Maybe you want to start asking yourself the right questions in order to fuel a desire to do better, such as how do successful people succeed or accomplish goals? What do they do in certain situations? How might I succeed with the information I can obtain by looking? When you don't know where to start, asking at least may get you idea, jot it down and then you can try and see how it goes. There are libraries and librarians or search engines (Google), or other web searches on computers willing to help and assist you and there are of course answers all around us in the Universe. It is all about passion and moving towards your goal. Alan Watts also speaks in the video on: Following Your Passion. Enjoy!
So, I was drawing a blank at times, there were many things I wanted to write down but the wording seemed long-drawn or all wrong at times and some may call it writer's block, but I just call it out of practice. That aside, I had motivation issues myself when it came to knowing some of the effort this post might take. In between other tasks, I had opportunities to work on some research towards this post, and sometimes I did and sometimes I didn't. You know, a nap can also take priority if we are tired. I just wanted to get some fresh ideas and I watched videos on the topic, read up on it and kept on studying and reading to gain more knowledge on the subject in general.
Today, you guessed it, I want to discuss goals and passions and how to put our energy to it. How do we stay focused and not give up when things are not so easy? "Anything worth working for never comes easy", so it is said. Yes, we work hard and it should all come together, right?? Not exactly. I think consistency and dedication along with hard work and faith can see us through. I will try to cover those points and a few more. Does following your passion have to be work? If you love what you are doing, does that mean issues will not arise and you will always love it when things are more difficult? No. If you enjoy where you are going with something or in life, it may not seem like work anymore, but even if you don't enjoy it a certain amount of work towards something also gets you going in that direction. Then you may not necessarily find the steps it took to accomplish as unpleasant....... but that's not always the feeling while we are building momentum or just starting at a new task. Just like start-up businesses take some time to get established, it should not be a constant struggle the entire life of the business. In fact, once you review how things went you may even feel they were all necessary lessons or steps, and see future matters with more wisdom and they may not be as difficult or toiling.
Then, will you always have 100% motivation to do the next thing? That being said, it does take some amount of physical and mental exertion to do things correctly, to learn and to do research, to put skills to use, to surround yourself with motivational mentors and people, and to visualize and take control of one's emotions when you feel like giving up. Just as you don't always feel 100% everyday, you must not let that stop you and take the helm of your life. One could meditate or pray to think about accepting where you are and what choices you have to improve. It is just something you have to do and then work through it. Again, controlling one's emotions by the minute can be very challenging but necessary. This has to do with accomplishing your goals and passion in life, so that you have a less difficult time to overcome it.
Personally, in the past I had quit jobs, when I allowed myself to be affected by others poisoning my work environment and my experiences. My part in it was not controlling my own feelings towards certain situations. If I let it "get to me" then that is my fault. Perhaps some people would advise to unleash themselves if you are miserable there anyways, but I believe they mean to prepare to exit a job properly as opposed to making a huge sacrifice to your finances. So, unleash your strategies and set into motion, including starting with saving and paying off any debts. It is beneficial if you find yourself soon out of employment, so you have enough for living expenses and not those same funds going to high interest credit cards.
Besides that, stocking up on essential food and other items when they are a good price is excellent and saves you not only money but also time. Time (as you won't need to shop at the store everyday), and you can use more time to accomplish your goals, or taking some time to find out what you want to focus on. That is my personal experience, so do things in your best interest before you just quit. If it gets too much and you are going to do something aggressive you might regret, then start your exit plan, and perhaps seek some counselling or talk to a support person who understands in the meantime. I understand how things can get overwhelming and how aggravating office politics are, but just think it could give you an edge to hang in there just a bit longer until you need, and in the meantime try to ignore somethings or people and do things that help you cope. Eat well and sleep well, so you can have your scruples about you. You could also try a few things first, such as set up a meeting or discuss boundaries you need to be met, and if your attempts to be reasonable and diplomatic don't work, then you can use your discretion. It is easier said than done to control our emotions and feelings, not just reserved for workplace situations. All aspects of life along with varieties of people that can be difficult, then you will need to use more finesse.
A lot of New Age beliefs say to get "into the vortex" or get happy. Sometimes, we may try to do that but feel unsatisfied. If we are always wrapped up in external things or situations in this world to make us happy, instead of being fulfilled in our hearts to be content, then we will always be searching outside ourselves. I don't think that means that we cannot want to live a good life with all we need though. Sometimes, our situations in life, health or perhaps hormones are getting us all down and depressed, feeling tired and lethargic. We may have mixed feelings some days and other days we may have a lot of clarity, but it is varying so much it's hard to stay on track and focus. In order to accomplish health goals you have to be your own health advocate. Then you can start to obtain the correct information and food and work towards better health. I will post more about this another time, but if you are looking for answers on how to have more energy and vigor, start consistently working on it.
So is it really ALL up to us to keep ourselves happy and fulfilled to stay moving forward?
Well, I believe we can surround ourselves with a good support system and practice positive spiritual practices it sets us on the right course. We should implement these things into our life to be more productive and driven in positive ways. That could be people who are accomplishing their goals and wanting to become their greatest versions of themselves in life and thus happier individuals as well, or people who could be a solid mentor to you. If we surround ourselves with these types of people as opposed to negative people who only knock us down, then it will set us up for more successful scenarios. Routine, discipline and a foundation are important in general.
Another thing that can take away time from moving forward is worrying. Worry is proven poor for your health, especially if done over a prolonged time. You cannot avoid it altogether, so it's recommended to dedicate a set amount of time in your day to worry. So, for example, choose 20 minutes when you can be to yourself and worry your head off. Then leave it alone. This way you don't spend good productivity time, worrying all day. Also, while some people may not believe in God or a higher power, prayer is also important and is to some people part of their routines and discipline. A devote (insert religious belief here), practices their faith daily. Depending on your beliefs, you might want to take up praying for guidance instead of taking all the burdens all on yourself and worrying yourself crazy. So for example, a simple prayer of gratitude goes a long way. Then you can set off on improving and not worry to solve much more. All in time, and step by step and day by day.
So if you can try to stop worrying, and do something instead, you can turn your worries into positive improvements of action. You can pamper yourself when you are feeling stress or worry, or do some relaxing yoga or simple neck stretches at the start of your day in order to better deal with stressors. Have a chamomile tea and honey and listen to some peaceful music or go to the park and walk, or see the outdoors. It does take the edge off, and you are dedicating some time for something good for yourself each day. It is part of a routine and discipline to treat yourself well in this life. Even a bubble bath with Epsom salts helps to rid your body of toxins and feel better afterwards. So, all in all, various tools or methods can help you out in order to balance energy in your body.
People have different styles of accomplishing their passions in life. Of course, there are various personality types and here is a list of them 16 Personality Types ,and I do know that there are some tactics or tools used by some successful people more than others. Less excuses is always best. I am not sure how one personality would be better than others, considering each person's strong points, but there is a constructive way to think and a destructive way to think. I had done a personality test before and found out a lot about myself. I was an INFJ type but I also lean towards other personality types. So you may want to learn more about your personality style and find out your strong or weak points or just more about how you "tick". Then use your abilities to your advantage towards obtaining your goals and passions, and be proud of yourself. Your strong points could be to your advantage, and sometimes your weaknesses can be helpful too, it can all be to your advantage at some point in life. For example, I tend to over think and then things get to the crunch and I must get them done. It could be perceived as last minute, but also it could be perceived as more informed or more organized. Sometimes, I may seem that I have over planned, but I am always prepared. I can always plan more, so everyday I step it up a level. I work on inproving my health and step up the information I obtain, to a whole new level as well. So where some people are figuring things out as they go along, some people want to research and take new ideas into their focus and then know what they are getting into. Embrace who you are and what you know.
There are some peeps who will want to give up on things before even starting. Sometimes it's hard to get going and we don't have the oomph. I get that. There is a major lack of nutrition in our food, as the soils are depleted these days (look more into that if you want) or look UP at our sky and the air is not clean anymore with spraying from planes, and thus your brain is getting heavy metals built up in it. Don't believe me? Get some blood work done and then find out for yourself by googling geoengineering. The brain is not firing the best and thus you feel lazy and make up reasons as why not to do things. I think it could be a bit of both. Brain fog can really make us feel tired as well, and there are many reasons for that. One must look into their own health and also surroundings, perhaps for mold in your environment, and see what you can do to improve for now. It can be a progression and then constant improvement will ultimately lead to the situation you want to be in.
Again, my personality type will recommend to plan, plan some more, have a back up plan, adjust your plan(s), analyze your plan, do a trial run to your plan, edit and adjust your plan again, review and then execute it. Pheuf. Maybe it's not that much, but you get that planning is part of progress. Some only need one step to planning. The main point is, you will learn things along the way when you do this, which is the opposite of not doing and not learning anything. So how much longer does it take to grow as an individual if you don't ever try to pursue your goals or start, thus don't make any progress? Given, at times there is a lot on the line everyday, in a world of losses or gains- a mistake can really cost but you can look at planning as a way of starting as well. It can happen to some people that when they "wing it" their odds are that everything turned out, but you have a better chance of actualization and more of an accurate outcome. That isn't to say, procrastination is good. Nothing will ever be perfect or the "perfect time", so use your discretion and set forth. If there needs to be fire under your step, and it's a life or death emergency then your fight or flight response will kick into gear.
Now that I am past some tedious stuff (to me)- I will write this post less "life coachy" in style. I do want to share a bit about how I get my passion brewing though. In a world that is less than passionate, unless there is monetary gain involved. I think this gives us all a mixed wrong message right from childhood. If you need money in order to feel passion about anything, then surely the direction in which your focus will be on will be about money and not about what you love. It still happens to me. I think that can drive the fun out of your endeavours. I like to do things I love, "as if" I am already making a living at it. It doesn't mean I am yet, but we keep our jobs in the meantime if necessary to pay the bills. Believe in what you are doing and help to uplift others following their passions.
You might want to note that you are working towards your goals and dreams, even when you are working a job. That is if you have a plan to make it work to your advantage. It can be a way to help you alleviate stress of money, but you can still allocate proper amounts of time to your passion. So, if your boss is always trying to make you work later and put in more overtime, perhaps it's time to make your own passions a #1 priority so you can enroll or learn what you want or join a choir or a club and so on. You can work your regular hours or some overtime but it's really important to schedule, enroll or set a specific time aside towards your passions. This is so that you know to stick to it and you can brief your work or your friends or family, or whom ever, that you will be busy with your commitments. This way they know what to expect. It may never materialize otherwise, even if that means spending quality time with family. Decide and commit to it. We all can improve at this everyday.
If you try to accomplish something that others have not thought of or heard of, then some might pounce at the chance to comment negatively. They may say how many ways will not work although they have no idea or what it entails to accomplish it. They may say it's altogether impossible. Sometimes, it is about nothing new but the naysayers will say something anyways, just to talk. Remember that. Not many people listen and they will talk over you, talk to hear themselves, talk to bullshit, talk and talk some more. So, it sounds mean in a way, but my question is, are you going to take their opinion to heart? Remember it's not necessarily as if they have had a personal experience and can forsee your future failings. Everyone's outcome is always going to be different, as you have a multitude of varying skills and qualities, not to mention opportunities as the stars align differently for us all. So there are types of people who enjoy robbing others of excitement and would rather bring other down and only offer an idle mentality to conversations, rather than be a positive beacon for others.
It is the same when some people have a lot of questions or comments, just to ask and with no interest of what the project is. Has that ever happened to you? Has anyone ever made it known they were not really paying attention to your answer, after they asked you what you do in life? It actually can divert a person's energy to answer everyone's questions. For example, you probably wouldn't see an engineer explaining everything he learned all the way up until University, to every Tom, Dick and Harry on the street especially if they were uneducated in all types of ways about the matter. No, it wouldn't be worth his while. To "catch them up" on the subject is futile and you might lose zest for it and all you will be doing is explaining and justifying. If you were going into a bank for a business loan that is different, then you have to explain your endeavour. It would be appropriate and you would put together a proper business plan and address all the pertinent information being asked, as there is something in return for your time and effort. It has to do with your endeavours and it is not meaningless time spent . In any case you would take necessary steps to prepare for that "question period". A lot of people will question how you have accomplished things in your life. The thing is there is no way to put words to it, nor do you have to and you do not owe people a summary. Actions are how you did what you did, in the long run, it took your actions to move forward. The point is you got results, so being authentic and doing your thing your way without answering to anyone is the best way in my opinion.
Back to passion. You can watch motivational videos or read books to get motivation from a mentor who is experienced and helps you to succeed. But more than motivation, where does the passion for something come from? Having a passion for something, is ongoing and you never want to stop doing it. You might take breaks and that is why getting motivated is much like showering, one must do it regularly to get the benefits and practice it in different ways. We can rely on some motivation to accomplish our goals and keep passion for them, for long periods of time. When it is self-driven and we are always seeking answers and getting curious as to the ins and outs of life, then you could say you are "hungry. That may help you to have a lot of motivation to work on things, and it could be altogether desperate. So it really does boil down to what is in your heart to do and how badly you want it. Whatever that is. Then you will do it with no excuses.
Again, sometimes there are health issues or other things in the way that stop you from feeling feeling tip-top. Lack of exercise, battling depression or an illness, that robs you of energy, lack of motivation due to mental laziness or perhaps you are around someone that is constantly negative and fighting you thus affecting energy and confidence. Factors that can bring you down are not a joke. Any of these reasons and many more, can be a contributing factor into whether you let them interfere with getting things done in your life. You might want to change the circumstances and people who are around you and thus influencing your life. It is best to make a change than to continue in a rut or a broken environment. So what do you try to do? What ever it takes. Have courage, and have faith. Action is the catalyst to all change and all chance really. It is the very thing that changes circumstances, whether the action is small or large. Don't downplay what you have accomplished and how far you have come along. Look to adjust when things are uncomfortable, and keep planning. Once you understand that it is time, you can start to get excited about where you want to go just by planning and learning about the resources around you. There is not a need to get overwhelmed, just know you are moving forward toward your goal. If you are overwhelmed just remember it is a part of the experience of overcoming and quite necessary. If you don't learn to deal with such feelings, you will not be able to cope on larger platforms or levels as you succeed. We all have to start somewhere.
When it comes to deadlines you might find that just by starting something and slowly getting into it, you start to get on a roll. I recommend starting early on any project, as there may be "unseens" that can happen and the more time you can be prepared to handle them as they arise the better. This can help to not get overwhelmed. Somethings cannot be intended and some things can, and it's essential to keep a nice pace so you don't burn yourself out. It's also good to stay ahead, for some people that seems to always be on the verge of running late. I, for one, try to stay on time by starting early which ends up being just on time. If you get what I am saying, there is always Murphy's Law to contend with or things that take more time like getting out the door to where you must be. Just try your best to save time when you can, prepare things ahead of time and multi-task when necessary; in past IAJLGOM's posts advice on saving time came up often. If that isn't helping, then perhaps you can look into your time management or tools and apps that can help you with that. Delegating tasks that you can or paying someone to take over in certain areas could help as well.
Just like exercise goals, health goals are real but although nutrition is important, it can also be unreal to some. It becomes real when you start to lose your health, Don't just try out diet fads, trends or exercises that fall in line with results that are trendy. Get real nutrition into your body and stick with nourishing yourself, giving yourself a fighting chance to obtain good health and healing any underlying conditions you might have. So don't base your exercise and health goals on end results that you actually don't want yourself, but feel you now must accomplish because you see it in advertisements or your friends are doing it. Back in the 90's, it all of a sudden became the rage to be waif thin and this was due to a lot of supermodels were that skinny, and posed and were promoted in magazines and on television. Ask yourself why do you have to be skinny or a certain way? Does it mean you will be healthy or does it mean you will be unhealthy and jeopardizing yourself? I would avoid diets that promote that, and rather choose to be healthy and fit. Here is a past IAJLGOM's post on some ways and ideas to boost your energy level so you can stay on track: Energy Boosters .
Sometimes, it might not look like anything is getting done but then it all comes together in the end. Progress is progress. Give it your best and then don't worry about it, knowing it is in the works. For example, if someone wants a scarf for winter, they might try knitting a scarf for the first time in which they may make a lot of errors and get the yarn tangled up many times. Where if they want to complete the scarf in time for winter, then they will fix their mistakes and forge ahead. They may find they don't have time to complete knitting, maybe they will decide knitting isn't for them and go and purchase a scarf at a store, or they might mention to someone the need of a scarf. Perhaps that person decides they have one too many and gives them a scarf. Either way, it's trying different avenues that bring you to your end goal. In this case a scarf. Repetition and trying different things can tend to work out to your advantage.
If your passion is love for example, as some people are always looking for love even "in the wrong places", well you can see them doing what they love to do all day, everyday- without lack of energy. Whether it is a short term or long term relationship they find themselves in, nothing else will mean much to them except the hunt and chasing for love. Perhaps they meet someone new all the time and fall in love easily, then they tend to start looking for love again even if it is elsewhere. It is the feeling of love they are addicted to, but you should note the focus they have on what they want. It can be all consuming to some people and I don't mean to say their focus is balanced, but for what they are working towards is really a passion of theirs and they do keep finding something that feels like love to themselves. I assume one day or other they will find true everlasting love- with themselves even if for a moment.
There are many ways to defeat yourself and quite a few ways to succeed at your goals and passions in life. We all have different methods. Maybe you want to start asking yourself the right questions in order to fuel a desire to do better, such as how do successful people succeed or accomplish goals? What do they do in certain situations? How might I succeed with the information I can obtain by looking? When you don't know where to start, asking at least may get you idea, jot it down and then you can try and see how it goes. There are libraries and librarians or search engines (Google), or other web searches on computers willing to help and assist you and there are of course answers all around us in the Universe. It is all about passion and moving towards your goal. Alan Watts also speaks in the video on: Following Your Passion. Enjoy!
Monday, May 09, 2016
Alberta Wildfire in Fort McMurray
This past week has been very difficult for Albertans, with a huge wildfire that started up in the Fort McMurray area which led to the evacuation of all the citizens of the city. More than 80,000 people's lives were endangered from the fires burning out of control.
Fort McMurray has been sealed off now for days and unless it was media who was allowed back into the city to report on the fire-ravaged city, everyone was evacuated. It has been very devastating and frightening for everyone, including some who do not have a home to go back to. 85 percent of the buildings in the community have been saved, but many neighborhoods were altogether destroyed. The firefighters did amazing & heroic jobs in controlling the massive inferno, working around the clock!
We got rain all late afternoon on Mother's Day here in Calgary, and I was praying they did up North. Now, I had heard the wildfires were burning towards Northern British Columbia and about 30 km from the Saskatchewan border, but it is unclear to me whether this was the same fire or if the BC fires were indeed deliberately set. It seems with record heat and dry conditions, it's tinder dry out there and there is a province-wide fire ban in effect Now that the fire is under control in Fort Mac, there still are some safety concerns as well as there is no electricity, gas or water. There will be weeks ahead before public utilities are up and running, as well as more time for those who lost their homes. Prayers, hope and donations go out to everyone affected!
Here are the top CTV videos on the Wildfire Coverage .
Dash-cam-video-shows-terrifying-drive-for-evacuees-out-of-fiery-fort-mcmurray
Want-to-help-those-fleeing-fort-mcmurray-heres-how
www.albertafirebans.ca
Fort McMurray has been sealed off now for days and unless it was media who was allowed back into the city to report on the fire-ravaged city, everyone was evacuated. It has been very devastating and frightening for everyone, including some who do not have a home to go back to. 85 percent of the buildings in the community have been saved, but many neighborhoods were altogether destroyed. The firefighters did amazing & heroic jobs in controlling the massive inferno, working around the clock!
We got rain all late afternoon on Mother's Day here in Calgary, and I was praying they did up North. Now, I had heard the wildfires were burning towards Northern British Columbia and about 30 km from the Saskatchewan border, but it is unclear to me whether this was the same fire or if the BC fires were indeed deliberately set. It seems with record heat and dry conditions, it's tinder dry out there and there is a province-wide fire ban in effect Now that the fire is under control in Fort Mac, there still are some safety concerns as well as there is no electricity, gas or water. There will be weeks ahead before public utilities are up and running, as well as more time for those who lost their homes. Prayers, hope and donations go out to everyone affected!
Here are the top CTV videos on the Wildfire Coverage .
Dash-cam-video-shows-terrifying-drive-for-evacuees-out-of-fiery-fort-mcmurray
Want-to-help-those-fleeing-fort-mcmurray-heres-how
www.albertafirebans.ca
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Current Affairs
I have been busy sneezing away from allergies and working on some great new posts. I am really getting to be proud of my body of work here and on my other blogs. They are all works in progress but some of my life's mission as well. I do think this is something to dedicate to and now I am taking it more seriously. I do have many other hobbies and passions fighting for attention- or at least it is an internal fight within myself as where to locate my time. I just feel right now blogging, writing and being a new Mom (since last year), is the way I want to divide my energy. Of course, there are everyday things to do too, like taking care of ones health and pursuing knowledge and learning, and I wouldn't mind moving to the country.
All the while, sometimes I cringe at past efforts of writing once I review them. Sometimes, it's posts I have written and other times poetry or stories. I just clean up some of the punctuation or sentences, and although there are some keepers, some things get shredded. Editing seems like a waste of time on some posts, which were of great deals from deal sites. I have deleted those but I will update you with some new deal sites that I have bought from recently.
It is something to be able to work on these projects and truly get excited, and not over money or monetary gain. It is simply something to get up and look forward to and do. I believe in creating your own vision. Goals in life DO keep us moving in a onward direction. I have dedicated a vision to it and have an organizational board with the outlines on it. I have bought books to write my ideas down, when away from the computer. I have tons of inspiration but now I really will be kicking it into high gear.
Advice is, anything you choose to do, put time and focus into it and eventually, it WILL come together. In the mean time anything you have to do make ends meet and plan is very handy. One way you can plan is write out a list or use a planning app or book, or what I did and set up an organizational board. I felt more professional and it held the entire vision of things I want to do. I put it up on the wall where I can see it in the morning. It is just the little things we do that can make us more motivated. Stay tuned for a more lengthy blog post about "Passion and Motivation" in the future.
That aside, more current things happening with me are documenting Geo-engineering/ weather modification spraying photos - of grave importance and please see my blog : weawake.blogspot . It is definitely getting worse out there and now there is talk of chemtrail related illnesses. I just keep doing my due diligence and take the pictures and document them. So there should be no harm done to be a witness and track our environment. Sometimes, I notice no haze or geoengineering spray in a day where the skies are nice and blue with fluffy clouds and a nice breeze. Those are the types of days we long for.
I am still working on a lot of exercise and yoga, cleaning up my eating and doing more natural cleaning around my home. I am trying to make solutions with tea tree oil and vinegar and water, lemon and baking soda or even equal parts of salt and vinegar. It's great to spring clean your home with natural solutions, as it saves your health and money from your pocketbook. I will definitely be posting more on this later as well and some of the tricks I have learned.
I also love visiting the Farmer's Market. Still to this day, it is my favorite spot to be. You can check out food haul posts, recipes and more on my other blog: illaqueenscorner.blogspot.ca and some things are from the grocery store, so I can buy as much good produce as I can. And we love to pack a lot of vegetables in every meal, along with pulses or legumes. I feel I am growing better at being able to eat a vegan diet. I don't believe I could do it on juice alone or JUST salads. I after all was not completely vegetarian when pregnant. I had done it for nearly 2 years prior to pregnancy, and yet I fell back into eating fish and a little more as by doctor's orders (more about that on another post), for sure.
And last but not least, I continue to study Horticulture and will be taking the next course at my leisure when I am ready. I did postpone it a couple times now when registration came up fast. I currently am trying to keep up on reviewing some notes and readings. Don't give up on hobbies that you love even if they are not paying the bills currently. So that's it for now until I finish the other posts I am working on.
Have a great week!
All the while, sometimes I cringe at past efforts of writing once I review them. Sometimes, it's posts I have written and other times poetry or stories. I just clean up some of the punctuation or sentences, and although there are some keepers, some things get shredded. Editing seems like a waste of time on some posts, which were of great deals from deal sites. I have deleted those but I will update you with some new deal sites that I have bought from recently.
It is something to be able to work on these projects and truly get excited, and not over money or monetary gain. It is simply something to get up and look forward to and do. I believe in creating your own vision. Goals in life DO keep us moving in a onward direction. I have dedicated a vision to it and have an organizational board with the outlines on it. I have bought books to write my ideas down, when away from the computer. I have tons of inspiration but now I really will be kicking it into high gear.
Advice is, anything you choose to do, put time and focus into it and eventually, it WILL come together. In the mean time anything you have to do make ends meet and plan is very handy. One way you can plan is write out a list or use a planning app or book, or what I did and set up an organizational board. I felt more professional and it held the entire vision of things I want to do. I put it up on the wall where I can see it in the morning. It is just the little things we do that can make us more motivated. Stay tuned for a more lengthy blog post about "Passion and Motivation" in the future.
That aside, more current things happening with me are documenting Geo-engineering/ weather modification spraying photos - of grave importance and please see my blog : weawake.blogspot . It is definitely getting worse out there and now there is talk of chemtrail related illnesses. I just keep doing my due diligence and take the pictures and document them. So there should be no harm done to be a witness and track our environment. Sometimes, I notice no haze or geoengineering spray in a day where the skies are nice and blue with fluffy clouds and a nice breeze. Those are the types of days we long for.
I am still working on a lot of exercise and yoga, cleaning up my eating and doing more natural cleaning around my home. I am trying to make solutions with tea tree oil and vinegar and water, lemon and baking soda or even equal parts of salt and vinegar. It's great to spring clean your home with natural solutions, as it saves your health and money from your pocketbook. I will definitely be posting more on this later as well and some of the tricks I have learned.
I also love visiting the Farmer's Market. Still to this day, it is my favorite spot to be. You can check out food haul posts, recipes and more on my other blog: illaqueenscorner.blogspot.ca and some things are from the grocery store, so I can buy as much good produce as I can. And we love to pack a lot of vegetables in every meal, along with pulses or legumes. I feel I am growing better at being able to eat a vegan diet. I don't believe I could do it on juice alone or JUST salads. I after all was not completely vegetarian when pregnant. I had done it for nearly 2 years prior to pregnancy, and yet I fell back into eating fish and a little more as by doctor's orders (more about that on another post), for sure.
And last but not least, I continue to study Horticulture and will be taking the next course at my leisure when I am ready. I did postpone it a couple times now when registration came up fast. I currently am trying to keep up on reviewing some notes and readings. Don't give up on hobbies that you love even if they are not paying the bills currently. So that's it for now until I finish the other posts I am working on.
Have a great week!
Sunday, April 03, 2016
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Rainy Day Post
Another rainy day in Alberta. It was very hot about a week ago, so I enjoy the rain but then again I love the sunshine too. I haven't posted on the blog for awhile, due to busy baby life.
I am not sure if I should continue to blog anymore and I might be working on a book instead soon. I just don't make the time anymore, and even forget to write or have a lack of ideas, all while changing diapers and cleaning up drool and spit up. I wouldn't change it for the world, I enjoy being a mom and doing all the mommyhood things.
I like to go on more walks, now that I have a little one. I like her to get fresh air and although it's raining we will put the weather cover on the stroller and go. I like rainy days because I can find reasons for downtime and relaxing as well, like cuddling and watching a movie or reading. I just made a grilled cheese sandwich and thinking of some soup too. It seems like a nice rainy day food.
When I was a little girl, and it was a very rainy day, I used to paint or try to rewrite the dictionary in my own words. I used to read the dictionary as well, but I don't think I ever got through the entire book before the sun came out again and I was away again on my mountain bike.
I might try writing in my diary again, or at least rainy days inspire me to do so. It's been such a whirlwind this past year, and I didn't always keep up in my diary. I try to backtrack but then I will forget what happened on what date, and so it seems futile to recap but perhaps I might try anyways.
I have some sewing to catch up on and a lot of projects to complete such as knitting blankies, but now it's summertime and I doubt I will get it all done at once. I have been writing thank-you cards and letters to people to mail out and making progress on it makes me happy. I am trying not to split my energy up too much though, and let things that don't need to get done wait and focus on raising my baby , which is the most fulfilling,
I feel I am loosing the baby weight that was gained during pregnancy, but I have not had done too much exercise other than walking and housework, so it's time to get to yoga and light aerobics such as Hip Hop Abs. I believe it will melt completely off then with Hip Hop Abs, I was able to gain muscle and stamina rather quickly and I did enjoy the work outs and it was a staple of my exercise routine for about 3 or 4 years.
Well, there is hope since with eating right and a little movement, I have dropped a lot of pants sizes and shirts are looking baggier. That's about all for my rainy day post, so random and all, and now the sun is starting to shine outside. :)
Saturday, March 14, 2015
Fundraising for Aquaponics Business
I haven't been blogging this year so far because I had a baby at the start of 2015!
It's been very fulfilling and of course busy! I am enjoying being a new Mom, and although I want to get back to writing, I am still limited with my time and energy.
I am however attempting to fund raise for my business and work on turning it over to an Aquaponics business. Hopefully I can raise something and hold the business over until the end of the year or start of next. I am working VERY hard on learning the trade and all aspects when I can and have wonderful plans but need time.
If you would be kind to check out the Crowdfund page and share and support if you can!
I very much appreciate your help! Thank-you in advance and here's the link:
Please Help Me to Continue Business or check us out on Facebook where you can find more video information on Aquaponics!
Pacific Island Residential and Commercial Services Inc.
Have a nice week!
It's been very fulfilling and of course busy! I am enjoying being a new Mom, and although I want to get back to writing, I am still limited with my time and energy.
I am however attempting to fund raise for my business and work on turning it over to an Aquaponics business. Hopefully I can raise something and hold the business over until the end of the year or start of next. I am working VERY hard on learning the trade and all aspects when I can and have wonderful plans but need time.
If you would be kind to check out the Crowdfund page and share and support if you can!
I very much appreciate your help! Thank-you in advance and here's the link:
Please Help Me to Continue Business or check us out on Facebook where you can find more video information on Aquaponics!
Pacific Island Residential and Commercial Services Inc.
Have a nice week!
Monday, December 22, 2014
Gearing Up For A Holiday~!
Whether it's Christmas holidays or any other time of year, do you sometimes get so excited and caught up in the hustle bustle of preparing for a holiday, or all the parties and turn around and burn yourself right out?
Well, I have done it and seen others do it as well. Take for instance when you work all year for your 2 weeks vacation, just to be in a total frantic and stressful time before leaving for your holidays. There is much to do, as well, the boss or demands don't stop pouring into your in box just because you are leaving for awhile. Ridiculous, and makes me think that they do it on purpose, since everyone knows when it's quitting time.
I say do less, enjoy more during the holidays, including sending presents, cards, attending events and parties or cooking. Get more sunshine and less artificial lights. You can drastically improve your mood and energy level just by sitting near a sunny window.
Although everyone knew you were getting ready to jet set somewhere tropical or just take time off, they waited until the last minute to ask you for any last minute tasks to be completed or "favours", as some would say. A favour request at work is just a diplomatic way of asking of your assistance to complete a job or task, so that THEY can leave on time for the day. If you committed to helping out, and feel stressed try taking a whiff of citrus. it can help boost your feelings of well-being and downplay the stress you might be under or take a brisk walk to get some worry off your mind, AND if your job has been particularly stressful and you make the call, I wouldn't go in for that "half" day on Christmas Eve if there is nothing pressing or required of you. Take off for the day to finish your own tasks or drink some chamomile tea the night before and plan to sleep in. :)
Ya don't get it twisted, no one REALLY cares if you helped them out at work, they won't forget when you didn't though.....and the same goes for attending holiday parties. You may want to go to everyone's but it's really just takes time away from your own thoughts and meditation time, and you risk running your energy down. But if you really feel stress getting ready from work to a party, try some Chinese medicine techniques, such as applying pressure in the fleshy place between your index finger and thumb. This is a hoku spot and can reduce stress tension in the upper body.
I know very well and when your bus or plane is near leaving, there is no one around to help alleviate the stress to get out the door on time, unless there is one good colleague that you work with in a team environment and cares if you have a good holiday too. Well how about keeping to your own schedule, and stick with what you do on the daily instead like workout or read a book, instead of filling it up with too many other activities. Like the bake sale at work or all those fun things that go on, can really just take up time from your daily routine and tasks.
But here nor there, it's all about time management right? Well, I beg to differ, since there is a constant amount of workload being placed on people these days, not only up until a holiday or break but on the holidays now a days and from ourselves too~! Being perfect and having everything just so, will probably stress you right out. So try to laugh and forget about getting it all done "perfectly", without any hitches, the house is clean enough or the clutter from baking will be alright if you left it for a minute.
If the boss is calling during Christmas Eve, because an alarm is going off well then you might want to answer if it's your duty to do so, but I prefer to not answer or return the messages right away, if I even notice the messages. Once I am on break, I lose the thought of being on call, but this could be a breaking point for a boss if they expect you to live and breathe work. If I worked for those holidays or they are part of the respective statutory holidays, you can expect people to have a little bit of a life and not get to the phone right away.
Anyways, I also know we may spread out energy very thinly, when promising to attend holiday parties and events. After all, there is only so much time in a day, and if everyone would ask you to attend something, you might go back to work even more fatigued than you already were, craving down time that you didn't get. This is also the case, if you are around certain family or in-laws that might be more gruelling to talk to or are plain old mean. You could try taking those people to a restaurant where they might be best behaved, or you could try to ignore there antics a bit more and breathe deeply. When you start getting sick with a cold or flu, from perhaps indulging in alcohol or foods or people that increase your chance of getting sick later by running down your immune system, well you can thank yourself for loosing money instead of being at work after the holidays. Vacation time is nothing to sneeze at when you get sick.
I would even go as far to say, that if you attend one or two events for the season that is acceptable. I know many people cannot stand quiet time. and that is why they always are in the need for others to be on the phone with or yakking all the time, let alone at every party. There is a time to catch up and then there is a time to just chill out to yourself and even start your OWN traditions, such as peace and quiet or go and look out at the universe with the Northern Lights flickering in the sky. That could be a very nice time with a cup of hot chocolate. Turn off your tech gadgets, and tune out. You don't need to keep being on the phones or answering texts just to "keep busy". After all, that is a way to increase your adrenaline and expose yourself to constant wifi signals which mounts your stress again.
Even hosting a party is time consuming and by the evening you might feel like you should have got a nap in or hired that catering company, and when most guests don't show up due to what ever reason, remember you could have definitely scaled back on all the extras you went about providing. You could also ask for some help, perhaps everyone can bring something and make it a potluck holiday dinner. It does become a lot of work to cook and clear up the tables afterwards, but with that YOU enjoy the holiday anyway you see fit and best. Although I enjoy cooking, it's not fun when you not many people show up and you just created more work for yourself.
Enjoy some non-conventional foods for the holidays that boost your endorphins or are an antioxidant for your body, such as spice or honey. Eat a nice healthy breakfast before you have too much caffeine, so you don't feel cranky by noon. You could try healthier dessert options instead of sugary treats, such as fruit salad instead of butter tarts. It's still important to keep your vitamins and mineral levels in check!
And how about giving yourself a gift this year, such as a massage or spa time, or a retreat instead of running around for others gifts, you can also get in some extra gym time and work out some stress and toxins from your body. Or you could start planning a vacation for yourself for the New Year. You might feel good doing that, giving yourself a positive outlook! You will feel rejuvenated for it!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Well, I have done it and seen others do it as well. Take for instance when you work all year for your 2 weeks vacation, just to be in a total frantic and stressful time before leaving for your holidays. There is much to do, as well, the boss or demands don't stop pouring into your in box just because you are leaving for awhile. Ridiculous, and makes me think that they do it on purpose, since everyone knows when it's quitting time.
I say do less, enjoy more during the holidays, including sending presents, cards, attending events and parties or cooking. Get more sunshine and less artificial lights. You can drastically improve your mood and energy level just by sitting near a sunny window.
Although everyone knew you were getting ready to jet set somewhere tropical or just take time off, they waited until the last minute to ask you for any last minute tasks to be completed or "favours", as some would say. A favour request at work is just a diplomatic way of asking of your assistance to complete a job or task, so that THEY can leave on time for the day. If you committed to helping out, and feel stressed try taking a whiff of citrus. it can help boost your feelings of well-being and downplay the stress you might be under or take a brisk walk to get some worry off your mind, AND if your job has been particularly stressful and you make the call, I wouldn't go in for that "half" day on Christmas Eve if there is nothing pressing or required of you. Take off for the day to finish your own tasks or drink some chamomile tea the night before and plan to sleep in. :)
Ya don't get it twisted, no one REALLY cares if you helped them out at work, they won't forget when you didn't though.....and the same goes for attending holiday parties. You may want to go to everyone's but it's really just takes time away from your own thoughts and meditation time, and you risk running your energy down. But if you really feel stress getting ready from work to a party, try some Chinese medicine techniques, such as applying pressure in the fleshy place between your index finger and thumb. This is a hoku spot and can reduce stress tension in the upper body.
I know very well and when your bus or plane is near leaving, there is no one around to help alleviate the stress to get out the door on time, unless there is one good colleague that you work with in a team environment and cares if you have a good holiday too. Well how about keeping to your own schedule, and stick with what you do on the daily instead like workout or read a book, instead of filling it up with too many other activities. Like the bake sale at work or all those fun things that go on, can really just take up time from your daily routine and tasks.
But here nor there, it's all about time management right? Well, I beg to differ, since there is a constant amount of workload being placed on people these days, not only up until a holiday or break but on the holidays now a days and from ourselves too~! Being perfect and having everything just so, will probably stress you right out. So try to laugh and forget about getting it all done "perfectly", without any hitches, the house is clean enough or the clutter from baking will be alright if you left it for a minute.
If the boss is calling during Christmas Eve, because an alarm is going off well then you might want to answer if it's your duty to do so, but I prefer to not answer or return the messages right away, if I even notice the messages. Once I am on break, I lose the thought of being on call, but this could be a breaking point for a boss if they expect you to live and breathe work. If I worked for those holidays or they are part of the respective statutory holidays, you can expect people to have a little bit of a life and not get to the phone right away.
Anyways, I also know we may spread out energy very thinly, when promising to attend holiday parties and events. After all, there is only so much time in a day, and if everyone would ask you to attend something, you might go back to work even more fatigued than you already were, craving down time that you didn't get. This is also the case, if you are around certain family or in-laws that might be more gruelling to talk to or are plain old mean. You could try taking those people to a restaurant where they might be best behaved, or you could try to ignore there antics a bit more and breathe deeply. When you start getting sick with a cold or flu, from perhaps indulging in alcohol or foods or people that increase your chance of getting sick later by running down your immune system, well you can thank yourself for loosing money instead of being at work after the holidays. Vacation time is nothing to sneeze at when you get sick.
I would even go as far to say, that if you attend one or two events for the season that is acceptable. I know many people cannot stand quiet time. and that is why they always are in the need for others to be on the phone with or yakking all the time, let alone at every party. There is a time to catch up and then there is a time to just chill out to yourself and even start your OWN traditions, such as peace and quiet or go and look out at the universe with the Northern Lights flickering in the sky. That could be a very nice time with a cup of hot chocolate. Turn off your tech gadgets, and tune out. You don't need to keep being on the phones or answering texts just to "keep busy". After all, that is a way to increase your adrenaline and expose yourself to constant wifi signals which mounts your stress again.
Even hosting a party is time consuming and by the evening you might feel like you should have got a nap in or hired that catering company, and when most guests don't show up due to what ever reason, remember you could have definitely scaled back on all the extras you went about providing. You could also ask for some help, perhaps everyone can bring something and make it a potluck holiday dinner. It does become a lot of work to cook and clear up the tables afterwards, but with that YOU enjoy the holiday anyway you see fit and best. Although I enjoy cooking, it's not fun when you not many people show up and you just created more work for yourself.
Enjoy some non-conventional foods for the holidays that boost your endorphins or are an antioxidant for your body, such as spice or honey. Eat a nice healthy breakfast before you have too much caffeine, so you don't feel cranky by noon. You could try healthier dessert options instead of sugary treats, such as fruit salad instead of butter tarts. It's still important to keep your vitamins and mineral levels in check!
And how about giving yourself a gift this year, such as a massage or spa time, or a retreat instead of running around for others gifts, you can also get in some extra gym time and work out some stress and toxins from your body. Or you could start planning a vacation for yourself for the New Year. You might feel good doing that, giving yourself a positive outlook! You will feel rejuvenated for it!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Halloween Special
Well everyone is gearing up for Halloween this week, if not done so already! It happens to be on a Friday, which is going to be extra fun for all the sugar wired kids .... and some parents. :)
In the meantime, I have had my nose to the grindstone so I barely had time to decorate and my place quaintly decorated with some fall and working on Halloween, but I like to save money and also make things myself. I will be glass painting some clear generic candle holders into Halloween them, and make them cool and creepy ones! Perhaps, when I have them complete and lit up this week, I will post the pics on the IAJLGOM's Facebook group or here.
Until then, I have some Halloween safety tips and then some really cool things you can make for Halloween with you kids. Perhaps you can go over these Halloween safety tips with the kids, and make it a safe and fun night for all!
Remember, all regular pedestrian rules are going to apply. Be sure to cross the road at marked cross walks, or well lit corners only. It is safest to work your way up one side of the street, and then cross once to the other side, not zigzagging. Also, consider sending your children with a flashlight for additional safety and to increase visibility.
Kids, let you parents know where you are going to be at all times and advise them if you will be returning late, or if you are a young trick-or-treater be sure to be accompanied by an adult. Pre-determine the boundaries to trick-or-treat within, and establish a firm time to return home.
Advise your children not to eat anything until they return home, where you can view the candy in the light and dispose of any items that appear to have been tampered with, or not properly wrapped.
When you are buying or making costumes, look for materials and accessories that are labelled flame-resistant. Ensure your child is wearing adequate foot wear that takes into consideration weather conditions and lots of walking. You know they don't want to go home with only a little bit of candy!
And choose bright coloured costumes that are highly visible. Add reflective tape to costumers that need further increases visibility.
Now that we have went over the safety stuff, we can get into how to make some creepy Halloween masks!
___________________________________________________________________________________
Papier Mache Faces
For ages 8 to 12+.
You can decorate these papier mache faces with any colors or ghoulish looks you want, or you can make them into a masquerade mask, but it can be messy to work with Papier Mache so be sure to cover your work surface with lots of newspaper, and here' s how to make the papier mache face mask.
What You Will Need:
Flour Sale
Newsprint (newspaper) Balloon
Water Tempura Paint
Mix two parts water to one part flour to form a thick paste. Mix well to remove lump. Add some salt to the mix to discourage mold.
Blow up your balloon- this forms the base for your mask. Tear newspaper into strips about 3 cm wide and 15 cm long. Dip each strip of newsprint into the Papier Mache paste, and smooth off excess paste with your fingers. Drape across the balloon pressing gently to remove air bubbles.
Continue to add strips of Papier Mache to your balloon until the front is completely covered with four or five layers. **For a mask, leave the back of the balloon uncovered.
Add some features to your mask. Dip a strip of newsprint into the paste and crumple it up. Shape that like a nose. Press against the your mask. Add more strips of Papier Mache across the mask and over the nose to secure.
Add other features, like a mouth, ears and eyebrows the same way. Make sure you let the Papier Mache dry between layers. Once it's dry, paint your mask in any style with tempura paint. You can make your mask look like a green goblin or monster, or like Jack Skeleton, a witch or even Frankenstein! I hope it turns out scary anyways!
___________________________________________________________________________________
Now to make some cool slime for your Haunted House. It is slippery and fun to make slime but maybe not fun to get slimed! Scroll down for my Slime recipe, but also be sure to keep slime away from clothing, furniture and carpets!
Slime
What You Will Need:
1/2 Cup of Wood Glue (Or white glue)
1/2 Cup Liquid Laundry Starch
1/2Cup Water
Food Colouring
Put the glue and water into a cup and stir well to dissolve. Add a few drops of food colouring for colourful slime. Add liquid laundry starch and continue to mix.
As the new material starts to form, remove it from the cup and knead it well. If the mixture is too sticky, add more starch.
Store slime in a zip lock bag so it does not dry out or make this Glow in the Dark Slime Recipe
Have fun! Scroll down for some links to more fun and easy Halloween crafts, including 19 printable Halloween decorations and ways to have fun and save money!
___________________________________________________________________________________
Easy Halloween Crafts
Free Printables for Halloween
DIY Cardboard and Paper Halloween Masks
Halloween Treat Bag Stencils
Cheap & Tasty HalloweenTreats for Under $1
Free Halloween Pictures to Print & Color
10 Halloween Facts
Halloween Movies for Kids and The Family
13 Halloween Movies to Scare You Senseless
3 Simples Way to Save on Halloween Candy
20 Sexiest Star Halloween Costumes of All Time
__________________________________________________________________________________
Have a Great Week & Happy Halloween~!
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In the meantime, I have had my nose to the grindstone so I barely had time to decorate and my place quaintly decorated with some fall and working on Halloween, but I like to save money and also make things myself. I will be glass painting some clear generic candle holders into Halloween them, and make them cool and creepy ones! Perhaps, when I have them complete and lit up this week, I will post the pics on the IAJLGOM's Facebook group or here.
Until then, I have some Halloween safety tips and then some really cool things you can make for Halloween with you kids. Perhaps you can go over these Halloween safety tips with the kids, and make it a safe and fun night for all!
Remember, all regular pedestrian rules are going to apply. Be sure to cross the road at marked cross walks, or well lit corners only. It is safest to work your way up one side of the street, and then cross once to the other side, not zigzagging. Also, consider sending your children with a flashlight for additional safety and to increase visibility.
Kids, let you parents know where you are going to be at all times and advise them if you will be returning late, or if you are a young trick-or-treater be sure to be accompanied by an adult. Pre-determine the boundaries to trick-or-treat within, and establish a firm time to return home.
Advise your children not to eat anything until they return home, where you can view the candy in the light and dispose of any items that appear to have been tampered with, or not properly wrapped.
When you are buying or making costumes, look for materials and accessories that are labelled flame-resistant. Ensure your child is wearing adequate foot wear that takes into consideration weather conditions and lots of walking. You know they don't want to go home with only a little bit of candy!
And choose bright coloured costumes that are highly visible. Add reflective tape to costumers that need further increases visibility.
Now that we have went over the safety stuff, we can get into how to make some creepy Halloween masks!
___________________________________________________________________________________
Papier Mache Faces
For ages 8 to 12+.
You can decorate these papier mache faces with any colors or ghoulish looks you want, or you can make them into a masquerade mask, but it can be messy to work with Papier Mache so be sure to cover your work surface with lots of newspaper, and here' s how to make the papier mache face mask.
What You Will Need:
Flour Sale
Newsprint (newspaper) Balloon
Water Tempura Paint
Mix two parts water to one part flour to form a thick paste. Mix well to remove lump. Add some salt to the mix to discourage mold.
Blow up your balloon- this forms the base for your mask. Tear newspaper into strips about 3 cm wide and 15 cm long. Dip each strip of newsprint into the Papier Mache paste, and smooth off excess paste with your fingers. Drape across the balloon pressing gently to remove air bubbles.
Continue to add strips of Papier Mache to your balloon until the front is completely covered with four or five layers. **For a mask, leave the back of the balloon uncovered.
Add some features to your mask. Dip a strip of newsprint into the paste and crumple it up. Shape that like a nose. Press against the your mask. Add more strips of Papier Mache across the mask and over the nose to secure.
Add other features, like a mouth, ears and eyebrows the same way. Make sure you let the Papier Mache dry between layers. Once it's dry, paint your mask in any style with tempura paint. You can make your mask look like a green goblin or monster, or like Jack Skeleton, a witch or even Frankenstein! I hope it turns out scary anyways!
___________________________________________________________________________________
Now to make some cool slime for your Haunted House. It is slippery and fun to make slime but maybe not fun to get slimed! Scroll down for my Slime recipe, but also be sure to keep slime away from clothing, furniture and carpets!
Slime
What You Will Need:
1/2 Cup of Wood Glue (Or white glue)
1/2 Cup Liquid Laundry Starch
1/2Cup Water
Food Colouring
Put the glue and water into a cup and stir well to dissolve. Add a few drops of food colouring for colourful slime. Add liquid laundry starch and continue to mix.
As the new material starts to form, remove it from the cup and knead it well. If the mixture is too sticky, add more starch.
Store slime in a zip lock bag so it does not dry out or make this Glow in the Dark Slime Recipe
Have fun! Scroll down for some links to more fun and easy Halloween crafts, including 19 printable Halloween decorations and ways to have fun and save money!
___________________________________________________________________________________
Easy Halloween Crafts
Free Printables for Halloween
DIY Cardboard and Paper Halloween Masks
Halloween Treat Bag Stencils
Cheap & Tasty HalloweenTreats for Under $1
Free Halloween Pictures to Print & Color
10 Halloween Facts
Halloween Movies for Kids and The Family
13 Halloween Movies to Scare You Senseless
3 Simples Way to Save on Halloween Candy
20 Sexiest Star Halloween Costumes of All Time
__________________________________________________________________________________
Have a Great Week & Happy Halloween~!
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