When is Stopping more Important than Starting?
I recently started seeing a naturopath doctor. She decided to put me on a lectin free diet. She gave me a 3 page information packet to get me started, but I needed more details. Really, what I needed was a plan, a how-to manual. I joined a few lectin free Facebook groups, searched Pinterest, and started reading The Plant Paradox (which is probably the Bible for lectin free people). I feel like I’ve barely gotten a toe wet with all the information, but at least now I feel like it’s something I can do. I’m not going to be talking about going lectin free, but I need to say all…
Walk in the Other Person’s Shoes
I recently finished reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Such a good story! My favorite part reading it this time came from a conversation Scout had with her Father. Atticus was trying to explain empathy to his young daughter after a rough first day of school. He said, “First of all, if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from their point of view–until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” I’ve been able to apply this so many times over the last couple…
Spring Words from A to Z
Spring is almost over (we hit 100 degrees this week) and I’m grieving the loss of the cool weather. We’ve been going on mid-day walks and bike rides—a tiny escape from being stuck at home. With the weather getting hot and the pools being closed I needed a minute to remember all the lovely things about spring. April showersBaby animalsCloudsDaffodilEasterFlowersGardensHappyInsectsJelly beansKiteLife cycleMarchNestOutsidePolliwogQuackRainbowsSproutsTulipUmbrellaVibrantWindytaXesYellowZinnia What do you love about spring?
What’s Awesome About This?
Right now is a tough time for a lot of people. There’s a lot of stress surrounding the virus–having kids home 24/7, the possibility of losing a source of income, wondering if you have enough supplies, staying away from people, and the fear of getting sick. I’d like to pose a question in hopes of counteracting that stress–What’s awesome about this? The question actually comes from a podcast I listen to regularly. Brooke Snow challenges us to be grateful in every circumstance and to find the good. “It doesn’t mean you have to turn a negative into a positive. A bad thing can still be a bad thing. However, it…
Live Your Life to the Fullest
We are part of living history right now. It will probably be talked about for generations. Schools are closed, stores are empty, sports are canceled, people are quarantined. There is a lot of fear surrounding the pandemic. This morning I was listening to a podcast, and, like a lot of podcasts right now, they talked about how they were handling the virus and subsequent social distancing as a family. But before they got into the topic they shared a quote from CS Lewis. When he wrote this, it was right in the midst of WWII. The atomic bomb had been invented and threats of it caused a lot of fear.…
How to Direct Good-Feeling Emotions
I’ve been slowly reading Super Attractor by Gabrielle Bernstein–a chapter a week. There is so much good information to digest. I think I’m going to read it again as soon as I finish, but a little quicker. This morning I watched a video she posted on Facebook. She shared a method for directing good-feeling emotions from chapter 11. I haven’t gotten to that chapter yet, but I loved the concept. I found the part in the book and did the activity with my kids. She suggests doing this activity every morning right after you wake up. Using your journal, write the answers to the following questions: How do I want…
How Can I Find Peace?
The following post is a post from an old blog I used to write on back in 2012. It is my epiphanies about a study of peace. The ideas came up recently at a mom’s night out discussion with our homeschool group so I thought I would revisit it and share here. Hope you find some inspiration and peace. ************************************************************************ After a recent discussion of Heidi I was given a challenge to apply something that I learned/felt from the book. A lot of my comments during the discussion were geared toward peace. Peace is a theme I have been noticing a lot in books lately. I have been feeling a…
Personal Photo Challenge
I like to think I’m more creative than I actually am. I really aspire to be creative so I will often challenge myself to do creative things. I search Pinterest for ideas and try to replicate them. Sometimes I do a good job. Sometimes I get frustrated because it doesn’t look like I imagined. Either way there is something therapeutic about being creative. I remember listening to a podcast awhile ago about creating and consuming. She talked about how much we consume compared to how much we create. I don’t remember the details, but ever since then I try to be aware of my ratios. Toward the end of last…
My Winnie-the-Pooh Experience
7 years ago I read Winnie-the-Pooh for the first time. I don’t know why it took me so long to read the books, but now I love the stories and adventures of Christopher Robin and his little friends in the 100-acre wood. The kids and I often share favorite parts and allude to characters and scenes from the book. The following is a post I wrote soon after I read the book along with The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff. Please share comment below with your feelings about Winnie-the-Pooh. ************************************************************************I’ve never liked Winnie-the-Pooh. I always thought he was boring and dumb. But a new book caused me to see…
6 Things About Fall
Fall is one of my favorite seasons. In no particular order, here are the best things about fall. PumpkinPumpkin muffins, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin smoothies, pumpkin soup. Almost anything pumpkin (except regular pumpkin pie) tastes yummy. Cooler WeatherThis means I can go hiking, take the kids to the park, lay in the grass, and not drip a bucket of sweat just to walk to my car. Leaves Changing ColorThe colors are so beautiful. One of my favorite memories is being in Chicago in October right as the leaves had changed. It was a joy to see all the different trees. Another fun thing about the leaves changing color is that when…
