Power Up! Solar Energy....for me?

Firstly, forgive the didactic nature of this post - I'm in the throws of completing my requirments for upkeep of my licensure as a mental health clinician so i'm in that "mode". Part of this work is reading and being tested on updated research in the field. I read something on sleep improvement that dovetailed so nicely with saving energy and maximining energy that it blew my mind. I had never heard of the circadian rythm and how 30-45 minutes of natural morning daylight regulates your night time sleep cycle. Amazing. I also learned that you should avoid "blue" light that comes from TV and computers at night. That you should do the best you can to not use artificial lights once night falls and engage in quiet activities like reading so that your body can achieve regulation of chemicals that induce a good night's rest. Everyone knows that a good night's rest = more energy. SO! if i am spending more time outdoors in the morning soaking up the sun's energy and charging my own battery, thus spending less energy on electricity at home, as well as less at night to light up my home, then i will save energy, money and actually BOOST my own energy by giving myself a better chance at better quality sleep. What a great motivation to get out the candles and read a good book with the family after dinner. Goodness all around.

Dr. Mommy

Today my feisty diva is ambling around with hand cautiously cupped to her left ear demanding air for her ear. Oh! Preschool, you are truly a nemesis to the garden variety germophobe. It is Sunday, which impedes a trip to the MD. Wait a minute...hold on to your hats folks...the caffeine is kicking in....i wonder...are we too dependent on a trip to our overburdened doctors for reassurance? I believe in doctors. I do. It is a noble profession filled with so many good hearts, and the good ones know what they're talking about. I wonder, however, if there is a link between the loss of connection to our bodies and the overburdened medical profession. I'm going to try incorporating more natural remedies to help our bodies fight off run of the mill infections, colds, etc. I have Thieves Oil in the house and i'm going to try it. Today is an opportunity to explore the confidence i have in my ability to tune in to what is going on with my daughter. Who knows, maybe in teaching my children how to tune in, they will be better caretakers of their bodies, which would be a win win situation for everyone. Dr. Mommy is in!

Painting with Lemons

I painted with Lemons today. There is an abundance of child-made mess everywhere i look here at home....i was inspired to make a mess of my own. I took some lemons, cut them into halves and squeezed them and twisted them around all the cabinet and appliance knobs in my kitchen. I took halves and "scrubbed" handles and countertops. Squeezing, twisting, swooshing. Woah...it was a blast...a carnival of aromoatic natural sanitizing! Upside: it was fun, and the kitchen felt and smelled great. Downside: the pulp that was left over was no fun to clean up. I will squeeze out the juice next time and use a scrub brush for my next avant-garde lemony adventure!

The X-Plants: Revolution...

*click images for care instructions* GERBERA - $6.99

(Reduces benzene, a known carcinogen)
PEACE LILY $6.99
(Reduces Trichloroethylene, a proven carcinogen linked to Liver Cancer)
**careful, this one is poisonous to little kids and animals if ingested

ENGLISH IVY $3.99
(Reduces Formaldehyde)



Chrysanthemum (seen in middle - those other red orchids are my silk flowers) - $2.49
(Reduces Formaldehyde)

For breath is life, and if you breathe well you will live long on earth. ~Sanskrit Proverb

Amazing Discovery on my quest for indoor plants!!! Harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde and Benzene are significantly reduced in the air by indoor plants. An introduction to the heroes: Peace Lily, Chinese Evergreen, Bamboo Palm, English Ivy, Gerbera Daisy, Janet Craig, Marginata, mass ane/Corn plant, Mother in Law's Tounge, Pot Mum,Warneckii. My favorites for plants that go with any type of home decor are the Peace Lily, Gerbera Daisy, and Warneckii.

Fabulicious French Country Fabric!

My tablecloth is coming along. I'm handsewing because i don't trust sewing machines. I couldn't wait till it was finished so i put it on the kitchen table last night and it looked so beautiful i had to share. We were going to repaint our kitchen walls but the fabric does such a nice job pulling the whole kitchen together that it's not even necessary anymore. Some money on paint, paint supplies saved, not to mention time saved as well. Sewing is a good thing :-)

This Work is Mental, Too

I want to have all of my goals met TODAY. Yes, I am unearthing (no pun intended!) my natural tendencies toward simpler living and shedding the old skin little by little which is an important part of this 365 day challenge but I'M GETTING IMPATIENT. What are the odds that i could build a compost bin this weekend with two little ones, housework, cooking, and hubs' crazy work schedule? HA! Any thoughts, ideas, encouraging words, are SOOO welcome.

Learning the Ropes

Rich in vitamin C. Great for an immune boosting tea for the flu season. And it's in my backyard! I have used the following rosehip tea recipe to effectively reduce the duration of a cold.  It works!

 

Rose Hip Tea:

• Bring 2 teaspoons of cut hips with 3/4 cup of water to boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Strain.
• Sweeten with agave or stevia.
• Infuse with fresh peppermint and dried lavendar flower.
• Serve

 yum!

CHUCKLE CHUCKLE YUK YUK.......guilt.

I fell off the wagon. I love the taste of coffee, but it really does me in after a while. As 90's comeback-Janet so eloquently delcared in her poignant lyric: Like a moth to a flame, burnt by the fire. Hey, any lady who can figure out how to get a man's hands to act as a bra is okay in my book. Let us not judge.

It's All We've Got

Spent many days on vacation contemplating the grandeur and simultaneously relative smallness of "us". The blue planet. glowing blue in a sea of so many other unsustainable planets...perhaps planets that once were blue like ours, but not anymore. questions flowed in and out about the existence of a creator, other intelligent life, etc. Star gazing at night at the edge of the vast ocean. what if....what if this is all we've got and that's that? what if...THIS. THIS is the "heaven". THIS is the gift. THIS - a temporary holding ground for our relatively short existence? Well, then. I'm sold that my job here is to feel, be, live, and generate it's magic, weather it be energy that can be quantified, or cosmic energy that is unexplainable. My job is to give, create, and sustain - this lovely blue living jewel that gave, created, and sustained me.