mother lover goddess

This Blog Has Moved...

2010-08-21T16:49:00.000-07:00

to...

A Wise and Glorious Purpose

Why have I moved?

Back when I started Mother Lover Goddess I was a 25 year old polyamorous, raw foodist-vegan, feminist, pagan. I am now a monogamous help-meet to my husband, a Mormon, and a traditional foodist. This blog just no longer seemed to fit me after my heart had changed on so many issues. Please feel free to read this blog and it's content but please keep in mind that I am no longer the younger woman who wrote these words. This is a museum of the old me.

Some of the things written here I stand by - others I no longer believe. Some ask me if I've "gone conservative" Nothing could be further from the truth. I don't see life as polarized. As black and white. I see a lot of issues in the world and I make the best choice I can about them with the information I have. One thing I do realize now is that liberals don't have anymore answers than do conservatives. None is better then the other and they both skew the facts to fit their own agendas.

I was ashamed that at the ripe old age of 30 I woke up and realized that all those years I spouted "tolerance" and "social peace and justice" I was also advocating a liberal agenda, spoon fed to me as "equality" which really only promoted the corporate agenda of "slavery to self."

That agenda has been turning us all into sheep for the past 100 years by telling us (especially women) to place our value and identity on our work outside of our home, on our "intellectual" rejection of Christ, on our material wealth and our sexual desires.

We are so blinded by our own inflated sense of self that we can't see our community or even our own families.

I realized that I, like so many others, had followed liberal ideology off the deep end. It had made me ill in my mind, my heart, my body and soul.

I'm so thankful I woke up and realized that social values have their place. That virtue, modesty, love, charity, selflessness, self control, and service are all blessing which actually make us FREER to truly live our natural lives. It was like a fog lifted and I have been happier and healthier on my new journey.

I encourage you to join me at my new blog!

Our Home School Schedule, September

2010-08-20T11:39:00.001-07:00

General Weekly Plan

Monday

9-12 Circle Time and Main Lesson

1-2 PM Worksheet Review, 3 pages (School Zone Big First Grade Workbook)

Tuesday

9-12 AM Circle Time and Science Lesson

1-2 Art Lesson (Water color, modeling, crochet or recorder)

Wednesday

La Vida (the Home School Charter School)

5-6 PM Soccer

Thursday

La Vida

6:30-7:30 Karate

Friday

9-12 Circle Time and Main Lesson

1-2 German Lesson ( Komm Mit!: Holt German, Level 1 George Winkler)

September Plan

Week One, Aug 30 - Sept 3, 2010

Main Lesson
-Aesop’s Fable, The Lion and the Mouse , “Teaching With the Fables” p. 32-34

Worksheet Review
- Pages 3-6 in “Fisher Price First Grade Workbook 2”

Science
- Making modeling clay

Art
- Modeling with clay

German
- Reading “Elmo Bekommt Einer Hund”

Week 2, Sept 6 - 10, 2010

Main Lesson
- Aesop’s Fable The Lion and the Mouse, Pages 34-39 in “Teaching with the Fables”

Worksheet Review
- Pages 7-10 in “Fisher Price First Grade Workbook 2”

Science
- Pages 6-14 in “National Geographic Nature Library Earth”

Art
- Water Color Painting

German

- Watching “Lola Rennt”

Week 3, Sept 13-17, 2010

Main Lesson
-Aesop’s Fable, The Bear and the Bees , “Teaching With the Fables” p. 40- 44

Worksheet Review
- Pages 11-14 in “Fisher Price First Grade Workbook 2”

Science
- Nature Walk

Art
- Crochet

German

- Lesson One in “Komm Mit!”

Week 4, Sept 20-24, 2010

Main Lesson
-Aesop’s Fable, The Bear and the Bees , “Teaching With the Fables” p. 44- 46

Worksheet Review
- Pages 1-3 in “School Zone Big First Grade Workbook”

Science
- Pages 14 - 32 in “National Geographic Nature Library Earth”

Art
- Practicing A and B notes on recorder

Week 5, Sept 21-Oct 1, 2010

Main Lesson
-Aesop’s Fable, The Crow and the Pitcher, “Teaching With the Fables” p. 47-49

Worksheet Review
- Pages 4-6 “School Zone Big First Grade Workbook”

Science
- Nature Walk

Art
- Water Color Painting

German
- Lesson 2 in “Komm Mit!”

Ongoing:

Circle Time

- Rhymes, Rhythms, Poems, Dancing, Yoga, Etc.

Soccer

-Practice on Wednesday nights from 5-6, Games on Saturdays

Karate

- Lessons every Thursday night 6:30 - 7:30

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Completing Him Challenge, Last Week - Kiss Him Like You Mean It!

2010-08-11T20:26:00.000-07:00

I've been having some blogger issues so this week's Summer Marriage Challenge from Courtney is a little late. This is the finale week! Oh where, oh where did the summer go? It just flew by didn't it?

This weeks challenge is to kiss him like you mean it!

Song of Songs 5:16 says "His mouth is sweetness itself; he is altogether lovely. This I my lover, this my friend."

Build your man up tonight with some sweetness and kiss him like you mean it!

This challenge is dear to my heart because about a half a year ago I decided to never say "no" to my hubby's request for one-on-one time with me. Now obviously I can't drop everything all the time but I make sure I make him a priority.

It's a sweet life, let me tell you...

Just a few days ago my hubby and I got to smoochin' and I was AMAZED that all three kids cuddled up together to watch a movie while Seth and I got to have alone time - in the middle day!

Prior to my commitment to never say "no" I would have told him we had to wait until that evening when the kids were in bed but I was shocked to find everything fall into place perfectly when I made my husband the priority he deserves to be!

Sex is a beautiful gift, so go on, go kiss your man like you mean it!

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Super Simple, Waldorf, Jesus Doll for Your Nature Table

2010-08-07T16:34:00.000-07:00

I tried to video blog this one all week but youtube wont upload the video for some reason, so I will just have to write out the directions for this super cute addition to your nature table.

Supplies:

1 nylon stocking
scissors
3 pieces of felt - white, tan and dark brown
String
Sewing needle and thread
Embroidery floss, brown
wool stuffing

1. Start by cutting out a 4-5 inch section of stocking. You should have a "tube" of stocking.

2. Tie the stocking off in the middle with a bit of string.

3. Stuff one end of the stocking up with wool and tie off the bottom with string. You should now have a "ball" of wool stuffing with nylon around it, tied off at the top and bottom, the top should have 2-2 1/2 inches of nylon tubing sticking out.

4. Tie a piece of light colored string around the middle of your ball.

5. Take the empty tubing at the top of your ball and pull it over your ball as if the ball were a bank robber pulling a mask over his face. Tie the bottom of the nylon "mask" off with string the same way you tied off the ball when you first stuffed it. Now you should have one ball of wool, double coated in nylon stocking.

6. Take the tan piece of felt and cut it in half length wise.

7. Sew the bottom of your ball onto the top corner of the tan felt, roll the felt up like a burrito and sew it shut. You now have a roll of tan felt as a "body" with the sewn on nylon head at the top.

8. Take the white felt and cut into a square roughly double the size of your doll body. Cut a whole in the middle of the white felt and pull it over the doll's head like a poncho. Use a piece of string like a belt and tie off around the middle.

9. Sew eyes onto the middle of the head, tying off the string in the back of the head.

10. Cut out two pieces of dark brown felt. One should be large enough to fit over the dolls head and be shaped like a horseshoe without the middle cut out. Using the brown embroidery floss blanket stitch the round end to the top and sides of your dolls head, folding and stitching as you go to make it fit.

11. Cut a smaller, long oval out of the dark brown felt for a beard. Cut out a mouth whole and blanket stitch it to the face.

You're done!!

You can make anyone a doll really, just use your imagination! I could see a beardless, redheaded version of this doll being a Mary Magdalene or a bald version with pipe cleaner glasses could be Ghandi, add a staff or tablets for Moses, or gray hair and animals friends for Noah.

Enjoy and happy crafting!

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Act in the Spirit of Mutual Respect

2010-08-04T21:09:00.000-07:00

“There is no doubt that today’s ruling [to overturn Prop 8] will add to the marriage debate in this country, and we urge people on all sides of this issue to act in a spirit of mutual respect and civility toward those with a different opinion.” LDS Official Church Statement, August 4, 2010

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Video Blog - Happy Worldwide Breastfeeding Week!

2010-08-03T14:11:00.000-07:00

To celebrate here's Avi blissing out to a nummy snack!

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Marraige Challenge Week 8 - Respect Your Husband

2010-08-03T10:57:00.000-07:00

Here's what Courtney has to say this week...

It's Week #8 in our marriage challenge and this challenge is straight from the Bible:

R-E-S-P-E-C-T Your Husband!
Ephesians 5:33 says "Each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself and the wife must respect her husband."

The blogging challenge to us to write about what we've learned in our quest to give our husbands respect.

This seems like such a simple thing yet it is so important and so many women don't do this! A man's pride and need of respect is delicate and essential to a healthy relationship. They need to know we respect them by our words and our actions.

Here's what I've learned...

1. Learn this phase, "I respect your....." Opinion, thoughts, ideas, plan, direction, discipline style, etc. Use it often but not in a disagreeing way but a happy one. Don't say "Well, I think we should do such -n-such but I respect your plan." Use it like, "I really respect your strong leadership, it makes me feel so safe."

2. Make sure the children respect your husband. Never speak ill of their father in front of them no matter how frustrated you are. He needs the respect but they also need to see their father as respectable.

3. Don't sigh, snort, snicker, or sarcastically degrade him or his ideas/plans.

4. DO NOT tease him about his weaknesses, do not complain to others about what you see as his weaknesses.

5. Always, always, always speak well of your husband in public.

A respected husband will act respectable. They LOVE it when we treat them well! We women hold the secret to more of our family's happiness then we ever imagined and one of the most important first steps is the practice of respect

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Blessed Lammas!

2010-08-01T00:23:00.000-07:00

What is it:

Lammas is one of the ancient eight holidays which celebrate the changes of the seasons as viewed in the Western world. It is the first of three harvest celebration holidays and is traditionally celebrated on August 1st.

The first crops harvested at this time are fruits, especially berries however it’s important to give thanks for whatever food is harvested in your local area at this time.

This is the beginning of the season of hope. The seeds, ideas and intentions we planted in the spring are just now beginning to ripen but we have a lot of hard work ahead of us as we collect and store our food for the winter.

This holiday is a time to reflect on the great gifts and sacrifices given to us. The wheat of the field, the fruit of the vine have all died that we may live. It is important to acknowledge and respect that great gift.

Supporting Scriptures:

Matt. 9:38

38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

Lev. 23: 10
10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:

Family Activities:

If you have a garden, local farm or wild bushes from which to harvest, do so. This is a great way to teach everyone in the family to work by the sweat of their brow to earn their food.

First fruits are now cheap in the store, buy in bulk and set to canning natures miracle’s for the winter. Peaches, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and even watermelon rind are all easily preserved. If you’ve never canned here are some websites to help you get started:

www.wikihow.com/Can-Food

www.pickyourown.org/allaboutcanning.htm

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First Video Blog! Our Home School Plans

2010-07-30T13:39:00.000-07:00

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Completing Him Challenge,Week 7!

2010-07-26T11:51:00.000-07:00

Here's this weeks challenge from Courtney...

It's week #7 in our Summer Completing Him Challenge! Here's this week's challenge: Support his vision. Discuss his vision for your family. Where does he see your family in 1 year, 5 years, and 10 years. Share with us how you let your husband lead.

Ephesians 5:23 "For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church.

In one year we should be searching for the right property to buy and Seth should be heading back to school or training to change careers (orchard installation has been too hard on his body). In five years we should own our own land, have a producing garden and have built our own eco-home. In ten years our plan is to have residual income from a wind tower investment or solar power project and perhaps a working CSA.

It's always been fairly easy to let my husband led our direction because we both want similar things; our own land, self sustaining garden and eco-built home.

That having been said I still let him decide how we will get there. He works hard for not a lot of money. Sometimes he wants to reinvest in a bigger work project, hoping for a bigger payout and I want to invest in our savings account. He always asks my opinion but I make sure my opinion is supportive of what I can tell he wants. So far following his leadership has paid off more then I could have imagined!

Last year he turned everything around and got us out of debt and was able to get us a new family car and got himself a promotion! This coming year we should have the next bundle of cash to invest in land. *fingers crossed*

I make sure to honor his leadership in all areas too and I always ask his opinion on our home school direction as well as which church the children and I should attend. He is always kind and thoughtful in his approach. He has never demanded, forced, expected or pressured me into any idea or goal. He has a wonderful ability to meet the needs of everyone in the household. He is like a Zen master - quietly guiding us through life.

I am such a lucky lady!

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Colorado On Hold

2010-07-21T22:16:00.000-07:00

Our Colorado move has been postponed until the end of the year. I left for my trip out on Monday but had a flare up of a medical condition I thought I had gotten rid of years ago. I'm fine, safe, not in pain or any emergency, I just have to follow up now with tests with my doctor to see what's going on.

I returned home on Tuesday and I've been working on UNpacking and resettling back here at our house in Northern California. Remembering that our lives run on our Heavenly Parent's time, not ours.

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Planting Seeds for the Queen of Heaven and Earth - Missionary Work for the Divine Feminine

2010-07-18T10:33:00.000-07:00

For those of us who believe in our Mother in Heaven, Mother Earth, the Holy Ghost as feminine and other Christian interpretations of the Divine Feminine it can often feel intimidating to share or talk about our beliefs.

While we don’t believe personal salvation is dependant on knowledge of Her quality andwe do understand that having our Great Mother in our lives adds to the support we find in Deity.

We also recognize the desperate state of affairs in how our globe is treating the earth and that knowledge of the Earth as a wild, living, being can be one step in cultivating sustainable and peaceful practices, insuring that both the earth and Her human children are around for a long time to come.

Here are some ideas of how to bring Her radiance into light, everyday

• Make a list of scriptures that relate to our Mother in Heaven, see the Heavenly Mother Maidens Blogroll for ideas. You can work these into conversations when sharing your favorite scriptures.

• Pray every day for the strength to hold space for you beliefs when someone speaks to you in a pushy way.

• Pray with your children every morning and evening that they may remember Her in their daily activities

• Every month memorize a prayer or chant to the Divine Feminine or create your own. Say it often, especially when feeling frustrated, do this in front of other people!

• Carry copies of “The Divine Feminine, the Biblical Image of God as Female“, and give it away when you can

• Read the Bible every day, while looking for Her

• Always pray at meal time, include Her in the prayer. Our favorite is “Give thanks to the Mother Earth, give thanks for the Father Sun, give thanks for the rain in the garden where, the Mother and the Father are one.”

• Get a Goddess themed calendar or planner (we like We’moon) and hang it at home, the office, etc.

• Remember you are an example of Her! Be clean, well groomed, respectful, lady like (or gentlemanly). Practice patience, kindness and humility. If you’re a woman show the example of the Divine Feminine on earth, honor your calling as a mother. If you’re a man treat women with love and respect, do not speak unkindly of them.

• Tell children’s stories from “Circle Round” to your kids when you are waiting in line, at the doctors office, etc.

• Get a CD of Goddess music or the soundtrack to “Circle Round” and play it in your home and in your car.

• When other people complain about their mother, sister, grandmother, etc. share with them how seeing the Feminine face of God has helped you respect the women in your life more and get along with them better.

Define yourself. I know this can be hard and you may struggle against this one but you need to have an intriguing answer when people ask you; “What are you?” An idea is to place words like “Nature-based” or “Goddess worshiping” in front of traditional labels like Christian, Mormon or Catholic.

Remember the two most important things are to live a life which is a good example of Her love for us and always hold your head up and speak of your beliefs with confidence!

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Colorado Countdown: Top 10 Things I Won't Miss About Northern California

2010-07-16T11:25:00.000-07:00

10. Lack of diversity

And I don't mean racially although we have few minorities in this area, no, I talking simply about lifestyle diversity. Around here you are either a redneck, a hippy or a rippy (redneck hippy). We have a few stuck up city liberals too but that's about it. I'm lucky to have found the few friends I have. I myself am not a redneck or a rippy. I have hippy tendencies but the hippies here are snooty rich ones because they grow weed, hence I have nothing in common with them (generally speaking).

9. Inability to hike randomly

Because of the high rate of illegal marijuana cultivation on public lands it's super dangerous to hike about (you can get shot, seriously). Well known trails are dotted with homeless youth with large, often violent, dogs, hence the hiking opportunities suck.

8. Mold

Oh, I'll just set this car seat on the porch for a little while it will be OK. After three car seats you would think I would have learned, but no. I have never gotten use to the mold factor here caused by...

7. Months of unending rain

I don't like the mold true but usually I love the rain itself but being in a rain forest causes certain health issues like repeated strep throat and debilitating allergies.

6. Mariposa Market

I love the atmosphere, I love the friendly employees, the selection and the price. Why wont I miss it? The owner. After years of loyal shopping there, last year I sat down to enjoy a beverage in the cafe section. I was heavily pregnant with my third child. That's when, at the table next to me I hear the store's owner go on and on about "dirty hippies" having their babies at home and how stupid they are and how dangerous it was. This woman must have had no clue who was shopping at her store! She was loud, crude and rude. I haven't wanted to shop there since and have taken my business elsewhere when I can, even when it has cost more. The owner didn't care about the young families she was insulting because of a ...

5. Lack of a family friendly culture

Willits was founded by frontier rodeo folks but it's the aging first wave hippies and the seasonal young, childless hippies that fill out the population with few families like ours in between. Hence there isn't much to do here, a lot of older folks can be rude to my children and family services are always the first on the chopping block that's why the...

4. Libraries are always closed

The one low cost thing to do around here is our teeny library but budget cut after budget cut has it open about 3- 4 days per week when we are lucky. We need low cost family fun because of the...

3. High cost of living

It's crazy! The rent is so high, our water bill alone is $120 a month and that's AFTER we conserve and reuse as much as we can. It's $60 just to have sewer and that's before the water we flush. Plus it's illegal to build an outhouse so you have no option but to pay it. The food, the gas, the clothing, everything in California is expensive.

2. Arnold

As in Swartzenegger, the "Governator." What a jerk! He always balances his budgets on the backs of the working poor. He's really let the whole state down. I can't wait to be free of him (even if he's about to term out anyway).

1. Marijuana crazy culture

Unlike places that have recently legalized marijuana, Mendocino County was practically founded on it. Which would be fine accept I don't smoke it, I don't care about it, and I don't want to discuss it's virtues which means I have very little to do or say with most Mary Jane obsessed people here. It's also nearly impossible for one to afford the cost of living without growing it which is still somewhat illegal so it puts the working family in a terrible position of risky behavior just to survive. I'm sooooo over the whole thing!

Colorado Countdown: Top 10 Things I Will Miss About Northern California

2010-07-15T12:43:00.000-07:00

10. San Francisco

I loved having San Fran so close. I went to school there, took trips there, ate at good Ethiopian places there - *sigh*

9. Sheriff's Youth Activity League

Free Karate classes for both of the boys, you gotta love it.

8. Trey, Professional Show Off at the Willits Ren Faire

*drool* I've seen him perform every year since we moved here. One year he juggled knives over Seth - tres cool!

7. Downtown Willits

So cute, charming and historical. As strip malls and Wall-marts eat up downtowns across America I am so thankful to have been a customer of the sweet mom and pop shops on our main street!

6. The Redwoods

These gentle giants always made me feel so safe and secure.

5. The Madrones

These trees are so yummy looking I just want to lick 'em! Their smooth dark cherry wood is darn near erotic!

4. Our Church

And the congregation is a beautiful as the building!

3. The Beach where Seth and I spend our anniversaries

It's a fairy wonderland of waves and sand. Such a nice treat it has been to be so close.

2. Our Friends

We'll be leaving behind some good ones, from Church to home school group, and everywhere in between!

1. Seth (at least at first)

Seth is staying in Northern California to finish working. He'll be joining us in December so until then I will miss him the most and every second!

Lust of the Eyes - for Girls

2010-07-13T19:57:00.000-07:00

"For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." 1 Jn 2:16

I had a disturbing encounter today. I took my sons to the Chiropractor and sat in the waiting room awaiting their turn. The waiting area is very pleasant and comfortable with fluffy couches and children's play things. We were the only ones there at first. I was sitting, relaxed on the sofa with my 6 month old when a grandmother and her two granddaughters walked into the office.

The girls were young - tweens you would call them. A smile crossed my face. This age group of girls always love my baby and Avi was a super friendly mood, what a treat this would be for everyone! Imagine my surprise when the girls walked right passed us with their faces buried in pink, hand held video games!

Avi saw the girls sit down across from us and expected to be cooed over. He smiled and clapped his chubby hands in sweet anticipation but they never looked up from their games. He squealed and giggled all in an attempt to get their attention but to no avail.

The whole time we were at the doctor the girls never looked up from their games. They chatted with each other as they played and I got an idea about their game from their comments to each other. The game was a care taking game! They were feeding, bathing, and putting to sleep some fury little e-creature for points.

Wow, I thought. I've really missed something here. Boys are no longer the only children having their natural instincts exploited by the gaming industry. Game companies learned in my generation that you can take and exploit a boys natural desire to hunt and explore via video games. I was ignorant to the fact that girls' natural instinct to care take had found an exploitation niche in our consumer driven, techno obsessed cultural.

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." 1 Peter 5: 8-11

Many men in recent generations have been robbed of a relationship with the real world and now girls have been sucked in too. Who needs to take care of a family when your techno pet needs to be fed every 15 minutes? Just enough to satisfy that natural drive without any of the soul building responsibility of real nurturing. Just a retreat into selfish, self centered living.

What will happen if we continue down this path where men are not earning their way responsibly and women are not raising the next generation because they are being exploited by money hungry video game corporations? Those Sci-Fi movies where everyone lives a virtual life is not too far off is it?

Completing Him, Week 5

2010-07-12T17:39:00.000-07:00

It's Monday so that means another Completing Him Challenge over at Women Living Well. Here's this weeks challenge...

Week #5 Challenge: Make a list of 5 things you currently do and ask your husband to prioritize them for you of what is important to him. For example - a clean home, home cooked dinner, coupon clipping, service at church, having friends over for dinner, watching/doing sports with him, etc.

I am really excited about this challenge for many reasons. First Seth is WAY better at recognizing things that NEED to get done as opposed to my obsessions and whims. Also he is so wise that I greatly appreciate his counsel in all matters. Of course I have a challenge with this challenge in that I am moving to Boulder, CO in a few days so our lives are really up in the air right now. So what I thought to do is modify this challenge and have Seth prioritize my Boulder arrival plans.

Here are 5 of my immediate plans...

1. Set up a daily rhythm
2. Get the boys involved in home school groups and plan the September curriculum
3. Find a church and moon circle group
4. Enroll the kids in swim lessons and karate
5. Establish a weekly menu based on local foods

I'll update after I've had his help organizing! :)

Update:

Here's the new and improved (Seth-erized) list!

1. Set up a daily rhythm

2. Establish a menu plan

3. Enroll the kids in swim and karate lessons

4. Find a church and moon circle group

5. Get the boys active in home school groups and create a September curriculum

Colorado Countdown: Last Sunday at Church

2010-07-11T12:57:00.001-07:00

Today was our last day at St Francis of the Redwoods Church. The Sunday school teacher, Mary, got the boys a cake and we had a little party in the courtyard. I gave the camera to Nykki and asked him to take some pictures of our church family.

Cutting the cake, it reads "God go with you."

Cake face

Goofy boy :)

Sweet family, we love them and will miss them so much!!

Our favorite doctor!

Our church musician, he makes Sunday's so much fun!

The boys' Sunday school teacher :)

Colorado Count Down: Pretend Passports

2010-07-09T11:33:00.000-07:00

Over the next week I will be featuring a series called Colorado Countdown meant to showcase some of our moving projects. For those who don't know, the kids and I are taking four days to go from Northern California to our new home outside Boulder, CO starting on the 15th.

Yesterday the kids and I made pretend passports for them to take on the trip. When we stop for treats, food, gas or at the hotel the kids will seek out stamps, stickers, etc. to put in their passport to remember that leg of the journey!

Here's how we made ours...

Supplies:

Paper
Blue crayon or marker
Hole Punch
String
Wallet sized photos
Black marker and pen
Eagle picture (I photocopied ours from a book at the library)
Laminate or packing tape
Patience (fruit of the Spirit)

Cut out one wallet picture, create one card sized, folded paper with sheets cut to fit inside

Have the kids color the outside of their passport, blue if you live in America, then place an eagle picture on it with some tape or glue

Write your countries name at the top and the words "passport at the bottom"

Laminate (or I used packing tape) the outside and hole punch the sides for insert pages for the stamps, stickers, etc. Tie secure with string.

The finished inside, also makes a nice ID if your children, God forbid, get lost. You can include as much or as little info as you like. Here I have my children's names, date of birth, gender, country and the date we made them. Later I will include my track phone number for the track phone I will take on the trip along with my name and my mother's phone number.

Your Wish Come True!

2010-07-08T12:09:00.000-07:00

If you could have one wish, what would it be? That's a common "what if-er." Most people respond with answers such as, a million dollars, a new car, a mansion, etc. but what if you wished for what you have? I bet you did at some point probably years ago. I remember being in 8th grade home economics and I just couldn't wait to be a mommy. I prayed every Christmas for someone to leave a baby at my parents doorstep - I just couldn't stand it!

I bet what you have right now was once a far away wish. I wish I had someone to love, I wish I could get married, I wish I had a baby, I wish I had a grown-up job, I wish I had my own place, I wish I could buy X without having to ask permission....the list goes on and on.

Guess what, wish come true! (At least some of them anyway) Why make a new list of demands? That's like a child opening all her presents on Christmas, looking toward her parents and asking for more. Are you looking toward your Heavenly Parents today and asking for more as you sit among all the gifts they've given you? Or are you treating the gifts they have given you with apathy, loathing or disinterest?

That sink full of dishes? The gift of good food. That load of laundry? The gift of warm clothes. That long, hard job? The gift of independence.

What gifts are you celebrating today? What wishes have come true?

New Facebook Page

2010-07-07T21:26:00.000-07:00

Mother Lover Goddess just got her own facebook page. Check the sidebar to the right and like us and get MLG specific articles, blog posts and quotes right to your facebook!

Universal Preschool and Bagdad Baby Showers - the War on Motherhood

2010-07-06T11:23:00.000-07:00

I was amazed to listen to NPR Morning Edition this morning and hear two back to back reports which sum up how far down the wrong track humanity has gone. It wasn't what you may think. They weren't stories about people dying in war, or about poverty, not the recession either - no, they were stories about mothers.

More to the point they were frightening tales of how mothers are forced, expected and pushed into abandoning their children in pursuit of selfish desires.

The first story was called "French Preschools Aim To Please Toddlers, Moms" by Eleanor Beardsley. For a solid five minutes it extolled the virtues of France's national policy of universal, full day preschool beginning at age 3!

Up front in the story the French system was held up as the successful model by which Obama should base his American universal preschool program, one he has spoken of many times in speeches. The one that makes my mama heart cringe.

It goes without saying homeschooling is virtually non-existent in Europe. While government control may yield excellent social services, universal health care, limited corporate control and less poverty the government in these countries completely control the education of each child - and what the government says, goes.

So when the French government tells every French mother to put her petit infant in school, all day, there seems little getting around that. It's not just government control what's more dangerous is the cultural pressure and expectation to do it. People rise up against government and no one does that better then the French but who do you raise up against, or with, when the idea to rob a mother of her child, that young, is so excepted?

Many mothers in the news story explained how they were unsure about putting their children into all day preschool. One mother said that there were a lot of tears that first month before her son got use to it. The first month? That poor wee babe! How soul crushing that must have been!

It's all rationalized by the fact that the children "learn so much." They come reciting cute little nursery rhymes - in French, which I still think sounds cool even if you are French. But seriously, can that justify universal 3 year-old torture?

Oh, little Marie, 'er soul ezz dead but she learned 'er l'tterz!

So they want to do that here, in America? Literally over my dead body, which brings me to the next story I heard on NPR entitled "It's A Boy: War Reporter's Baby Shower In Baghdad" by Lourdes Garcia-Navarro and I hope you're sitting down for this one.

This was a heart warming (not!) tale of some really liberated, educated women. You know the kind that don't let their dang reproductive abilities get in the way of their careers. International war reporter? No prob! Just get pregnant in a war zone, pop it out and come back to war a year later, leaving the child with....well, they never really explained that part.

When will the world learn that mothers raising their children, interacting with them, teaching them especially at a young age is not just a divine calling but a basic responsibility to all of humanity. Small children do best when mom is simply THERE for them and shuffling them away for her own selfish desires or for some lofty educational ideal is criminal!

The irony is really smart preschoolers do not become really smart adolescents in France or anywhere else and children who are abandoned by their mothers become exactly the same kind of unhappy, insecure, disgruntled adults who start wars.

Admire Him

2010-07-05T11:18:00.000-07:00

I've been given another marriage assignment from Women Living Well in the summer "Completing Him Challenge"

"This weeks Marriage challenge is: "Admire Your Husband. If you are a blogger write a post all about your husband and what you admire in him and then show it to him! He will smile!"

This one is easy since I recently read Fascinating Womanhood by Helen Adelin, I've been practicing this one and I have to tell you my husband has been beaming and my esteem for him has grown and grown!

So here's the list of what I admire about Seth...

1. His brain. I gotta start there. The dudes SMART. He's a chess pro, a math wizz and I get all tingly when he can fix my computer in like two seconds flat! He can discuss current politics with wit and creativity and he's got an imagination that makes me feel like a fairy princess to be part of his world!

2. His body. I'm so lucky because I have a man with a nerd brain but the body of a Calvin Klein underwear model! Seriously. Broad shoulders *swoon* firm pecks *double swoon* and buffed strong arms without all that blueish sticking-out body builder crap *triple swoon*

3. His fathering abilities. He's a great Dad who guides, teaches and disciplines his children with love and attention.

4. His hard work ethic. He swears he doesn't have one. He swears he's lazy just because he likes to unwind with video games but let me tell you what he's unwinding from, 10-12 hour work days 6-7 days per week! Far from lazy he BUSTS HIS BUTT so that I can live my dream and divine calling of staying at home with the beautiful children he has given me! Seriously, it is HARD these days to find a man willing to work. I am so thankful.

5. His attentiveness. Many men aren't very attentive, it just doesn't come naturally but he must ask me 10 times a day how I'm doing, if I'm happy and if he can do anything to help me.

6. His forgiveness. I have made A LOT of mistakes with Seth. I've drug him down lifestyle paths that nearly ended our relationship because I fell victim to a lot of alternative BS. He not only stayed with me when times got tough but he doesn't hold it against me in the least.

7. His financial magic. I don't know how he does it! He somehow always meets our needs through cunning bill management the likes of which would make my head explode!

8. His green thumb. The end of the world? It's cool, I'm covered. Seth can grow ANYTHING with nothing. He's a genius!

9. When the lights go out...uh, hem...yes well. It's nice ;) Very, very, very nice!

Now go forth and create your own list!

Love Your Husband, Don't Become a Twi-Mom

2010-07-04T17:02:00.000-07:00

“Some days I call my sister and say, ‘Oh Edward, Edward’ and some days I say ‘Oh Jacob, oh Jacob.’” The woman said, pushing her glasses which were slipping back up on her nose. I looked at the baby in her lap and her five year-old playing nearby and I didn’t understand her at all.

This was a full grown woman in her early 30s who had a family and more importantly a husband. This was no girlish confession to a best friend, I had just met this woman at a moms group and she was gushing, simply gushing, on and on about Twilight.

“I’ve already asked my boss for the day off.” she said referring to the second movie’s opening day. “If he doesn’t give it to me I’ve already told my husband I’ll quit, I don’t care how much we need the money.” I squirmed in my seat not sure how to respond.

For the last two years or so I had felt really out of the loop. Many friends of mine had read the Twilight saga and obsessively so. Knowing how I couldn’t seem to put a good book down I had decided against picking them up despite having a big vampire Jones. A Jones which had me at the theater six times to watch Interview with a Vampire (when I was 15) and had seen my college years glued to Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

However, as I saw it I was no longer 15 nor in college. I had a busy household to run and no time for obsessions with Vampire sagas. My husband had read them out of boredom between jobs and after he was done I gave the books to the thrift shop to get them out of the house. I did read The Host, a non-saga written by Stephanie Meyers to get a feel for her writing style and to see what all the hype was about.

It was a pleasant enough read but I certainly wasn’t about to nominate her for any writing awards. What I did marvel at was her ability to keep you wanting to read more in a soap opera-like way. I knew I dare not touch the Twilight saga for fear of losing controlling of my life.

Like the moms group mom who was going on about her love for Jacob and Edward many of my fellow moms had expressed this level interest. Maybe I was missing something, I reasoned. Maybe I should watch the first movie, which was on DVD at the time. I went home and added it to my Netflix.

When it showed up a few days later I sat it on the self for a while, still not sure if I wanted to take the Twi-plunge. My hubby cracked jokes at me. Having read the books he knew how silly yet addictive they could be and he taunted me jovially about becoming one of the Twi-moms.

I screwed up my courage, popped it in the DVD and sat prepared to be dazzled. When it ended I was confused. That was it? I didn’t like it in the least. It was poorly acted, filled with halting cheesy dialogue, and the story itself unfolded like the worst romance novel - ever.

That’s Hollywood for you, I reckoned. Take what must be a decent book (based on its popularity) and what I assumed was a nice love story (based on Edwards female appeal) and crank it through the Hollywood machine and get a movie that left me thinking, “Uh, honey, you’re in a abusive relationship.”

“Nope.” My husband countered. The books are worse. “He’s even MORE of a stalker in the books.” Hummmmm…..So why then are women all over this country ignoring their kids, letting the house fall apart and emasculating their husbands via their Edward Cullen worship?

Now that the third movie is buzzing all around me, no matter how much I try and hide, I figured I would sit down and really research this thing. Really, what the heck is going on?

I found this article which calls the Twilight saga “emotional pornography.” From the article,

“Pornography is not simply about pictures. At its core, pornography starts with:
1. A desire to use people as self-gratification machines
2. A preference for man-made reality and man-made people over the real thing. “

This really hit the nail on the head for me over all the Twi-drama. Women were gorging their emotional lusts over Edward and Jacob but just like an airbrushed Playboy pinup - they aren’t real.

This “emotional” porn I think has the distinction of being potentially much more dangerous then traditional porn. Sever addictions aside, men may look at pornography and have a less satisfying sexual relationship because reality will never meet fantasy but men don’t tend to withdraw from their families in favor of porn the way women will emotionally withdraw from their husbands and family over their lust for Edward.

The reality is that the average mom’s life is nothing like Bella Swan’s and never can be, not because vampires aren’t real but because those moms are not 17 year old girls. They are grown women with children who need attention and husbands who need love and acceptance.

When a young girl obsesses over an unrealistic image no one suffers, it’s a harmless, hormonal induced distraction but when mom emotionally abandons her family as in this video her children and husband pay the price.

It disturbs me how openly women will flaunt their Edward or Jacob passion. A good wife speaks well of her husband in public. She represents him well and shows him honor and respect.

When did it become acceptable for grown, married women to openly fantasize over 17 year-old boys? How must their husbands feel when they do so? How would a woman feel if every man, including her husband, was suddenly emotionally and physically enamored with a teenage girl and spoke openly about this desire?

We would call it creepy, gross, and weird. It would make us uncomfortable just as millions of women in their 30s and 40s lining up at the theaters or bookstore, sporting their Edward Ts should make us equally as weary.

I wonder how many marriages are being pushed over the edge right now? How many women are searching, craving and filling their flesh, hearts and minds with thoughts of Edward at the expense of their husbands?

Being a good wife, mother and homemaker takes focus, joy, attention and a passion to be content with the wonderful family you have been given. Twilight seems to me a dangerous distraction from this divine calling.

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-04T10:14:00.001-07:00

Love and peace to you and your community!

Build a Mini Pizza!

2010-07-03T14:32:00.000-07:00

On warm summer afternoons I like quick, healthy meals that don't involve a lot of cooking. The kids want something fast that they can eat while climbing trees outside. So one of my favorite foods is the mini pizza.

They are super easy to make, here's how...

Pick a bottom:

Whole wheat toast
Sourdough
Millet Rice bread
Tortilla
Thin slice of chicken or turkey

Pick a Sauce:

Tomato paste
Pasta sauce
Pesto
Sliced tomatoes

Pick a Veggie:

Grated zucchini squash, carrots or eggplant

Add a dash of salt and garlic powder to taste

Top with your favorite cheese, some ideas include;

Classic mozzarella
Rice Cheese
Pine Nuts
Feta

Warm in a toaster oven, sprinkle with fresh cut basil and enjoy!

What if Divorce Were Not an Option?

2010-07-02T13:45:00.000-07:00

We all know, marriage is a journey. Sometimes we're lost on a bumpy road, other times we're breezing down the highway - wind in our hair and a song in our heart. Sometimes it's as boring as a daily commute, other times as thrilling as a high speed chase in a blockbuster movie.

The most important thing about this journey is everyone, everyone, EVERYONE eventually breaks down. The question is do you view the journey as worth continuing or when hard times hit do you stick out your thumb and catch a ride to somewhere new?

As many of my readers know I had a first marriage. When I was 19 I married my high school sweetheart. No one wanted us to get married so young but as I thought, and often said, "We can always get divorced!" This flip attitude came from the moral values I had received from MTV and pop culture at large. The idea I was raised with from the greater culture was "Why suffer, just get a divorce if it's not working!"

This philosophy made sense to me, back in the days when I didn't question our self-obsessed culture. I didn't think twice about the fact that we're taught to worship ourselves and do whatever we want to please ourselves with no regard to our community or family. I thought naively that only my first husband and I were involved in our relationship but I found out otherwise when we eventually ended in divorce much to the pain of my in-laws.

Now let me say, at the time of the divorce I had changed my mind from my earlier attitude. To me divorce was no longer an option, I put family first but it was too late. My ex-husband had gone off the deep end with physical abuse, lies, stealing and addiction. Divorce however was an option for him and to be honest I relished the opportunity to get out of the abusive relationship.

Now that my current marriage has lasted as long as my first did I look back and reflect upon the attitude that sent my first husband and I on the path to destruction. We both considered divorce an option and were unwilling to work on any issues. We swept them under the carpet fine enough but that only works for a little while. The issues resurfaced in the abuse, lying, stealing, etc.

What if we had gone into our marriage knowing that divorce was not an option for us? Would things have been different? Would my ex-husband's issues surfaced in the destructive way they did? I have no idea of knowing. One thing I do know is that the path I took was given to me by our Heavenly Parents to teach me a valuable lesson so that when I met my soul mate, Seth, I wouldn't make the same mistakes, and thank Goddess I haven't.

So when IS divorce an option? Clearly in situations of physical and sexual abuse or addictions one or both partners are unwilling to work on are times when divorce should be a legitimate course of action. Those couples without children also have more space for divorce in my opinion. However we live in the day of quickie, no-fault divorces, or what I would call "petty excuse" divorces.

Things I do not consider reasons for divorce include; fighting/disagreeing, career differences, parenting differences, lifestyle choices, etc. I shutter to even think I have to mention it but let's not forget Newt Gingrich serving his wife with divorce papers when she was in the hospital recovering from cancer surgery. Illnesses of all sorts ARE hardships but are no reason to divorce.

We place too much value in our system of personal "freedoms." These "freedoms" are usually thinly veiled excuses for acting selfishly. How many times have you heard a woman express the need to "free" herself from her husband. To "find out who she is on her own." Women who leave their husbands for just about any reason are held up by feminist extremists as heroes, women worthy of emulating and supporting.

No person is an island. You are not just yourself, you are CONNECTED to your partner, your children, your in-laws, cousins, and parents. Many of these people along with your friends are linked through your marriage. When you divorce you are tearing more apart then just you and your partner.

Successful marriages are built on the "divorce is not an option" motto. Will Smith has been married for 10 years, an eternity in Hollywood. He explained in an interview recently,

"What I found is divorce just can't be an option," the actor explained. "It's really that simple. And I think that's the problem with L.A. – there are so many options. So a huge part of the success for [Jada] and I is that we just removed the other options"

Options are a problem in modern culture. Once upon a time we didn't have options like moving far away from extended family, spending all day "out and about" or numbing ourselves out of reality by watching 12 hours of TV per day. We had to stick around and stick it out. We had to learn to get a long with family and with our mates. We didn't have any other option. So why do we consider it an option now?

Mother Nature has set up most animals to mate at least as long as their offspring are dependent and many of Earth's creatures show us the beautiful example of mating for life including (but not limited to); Gibbon apes, barn owls, coyotes, wolves, beavers, some foxes, etc. Other animals, while not sexually monogamous (they are animals acting on instinct) will still pair off to provide a safe place to raise their young.

Since we are not animals acting on instinct anymore where do we look to for examples on how we should act in a marriage? Many cultures have wonderful examples, some of my favorite come from the Bible.

"Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy. It does not boast. It is not proud. It is not rude. It is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrong doing. It does not delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, trusts, hopes, perseveres." --1 Corinthians 13

It's all laid out in that one quote isn't it? Patience, kindness, no envy, no boasting, no pride, no rudeness, no self seeking, not ease to anger, forgiveness, trust, and hope all make a marriage (love) strong. Can you imagine if we all actually took these words to heart and practiced them everyday with our partners? Would there ever be a reason to divorce? I wonder.

The God of the Bible has not set up divorce as part of His plan. He says,

"So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate." --Mark 10:8-9

Let's stop and think about that "no human being" part for a second. In a marriage there are the two people married but also their family and friends. Are you separating a marriage of a friend or family member by encouraging them to divorce? When they email you or Facebook anger at their spouse do you poor fuel on their fire or do you reflect peace, harmony and a respect for marriage vows?

There's the old saying; it takes a village to raise a child. Equally it takes a village to support a healthy marriage. Be sure your words but more importantly your actions are supportive of the marriages around you.

"Let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth." --1 John 3:18

And most importantly do not speak, think or act to your spouse or anyone else in a manner which considers divorce as an option. How wonderful and sweet your days of love will be when you have grown stronger by finding your way off those bumpy roads of marriage, together!

Diet Update

2010-07-01T12:45:00.000-07:00

Classic Before Pic

This May I went on a two week diet which mixed the theories of The South Beach Diet and Weston Price's theories. Essentially the South beach diet but with organic and/or raw dairy products (instead of low fat) also I used Stevia instead of Nutra Sweet. I went on this diet to lower my sugar cravings and take off some post baby fat. It went very well! After that first two week period I have cut out the following things from my diet and I'm still seeing improvement in weight loss, mood and limited sugar cravings!

Here's what I cut out long term...

Wheat
Processed sugar of any kind (even raw and organic)
Potatoes
Carrots

Classic After Pic

Completing Him Challenge, Week 3, Praying for Him

2010-06-29T20:49:00.000-07:00

This is week three in the Completing Him Challenge over at Women Living Well.

This week is about praying daily for our husbands. I really enjoyed this inspiration! I pray every week for my husband in church. After services I light a candle just for him and pray. I usually pray for things such as his safe commute to work (he's currently commuting 3 hours per day!). I also pray that he will make wise beverage choices (keep him off the soda), and I usually pray for his understanding.

I like Women Living Well's idea to pray daily for our husbands and I plan on excepting this challenge. Every time I look down and see my wedding ring I will pray for my husband. What a way to spend everyday sending good vibes to the man I love!

Beware of the Replacers

2010-06-28T09:55:00.000-07:00

There are so many things replacing the family these days - especially Mom and Dad. The family is our foundation, our earthly heaven, and, in my opinion, it is only through cultivating healthy families that we can save the world from poverty, war, violence, greed, crime, and environmental destruction.

"A false balance is an abomination to the Lord but a just weight is his delight." Prov 11:1

We should all beware of anything replacing the family but these things are so darn sneaky! I'm hoping this post will help you become a "Replacer Sleuth" seeking out, exposing and abandoning those goods and services designed to replace members of your family - even you!

Ever since modern humans felt they could through away our Mother in Heaven, it seems moms have been most under attack by the Replacers. Cribs, strollers, bouncy seats, play pins and the like have all been created to replace the arms of Momma. Abandon these things if you can, and if you cannot, use them with intention and in moderation. A healthy baby, is a baby in his or her mother's arms.

Day care, nannies, babysitters, schools, after care centers, etc all replace Mom's love, presence and attention. But mom can't be around 24/7, you may say, what about doctors appointments when Mom doesn't want to drag all of her children to the waiting room? Well, that's where grandmother's come in! If Mom isn't the one being replaced, grandma's, aunts and older sisters are!

Children are no longer trained in domestic arts, reading, writing and math by their mothers. They are shuffled off to government run institutions where they compete with classrooms full of 30-40 children for the attention they should be getting from their mothers. After school children come home to be educated and entertained by the TV.

When Mom goes to work she is often a Replacer herself, caring for children, doing secretary work, nursing ill people, caring for the elderly, teaching school children, crafting home items or toys, decorating, arranging flowers, sewing or designing clothes, cooking, serving meals or cleaning. What a backwards world we live in where Mom doesn't simply serve her own family in this function.

Mom isn't the only one being replaced though. Dad is also under attack by the Replacers. Where once fathers homesteaded land or worked from small family shops, our industrialized society has sent Dad far away, all day long. Son's rarely learn the family trade at their father's feet. Dad's five day a week absence is a mystery to many small children.

In Dad's spot is the TV for moral authority and guidance. Instead of learning about virtue, hard work, family values and love, today's youth are being raised with the moral standards of MTV and self-obsessed reality TV programming. The father-son hunt or gardening project has been replaced by video games.

"Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence." Heb 12:9

So many good fathers are struggling to make ends meet in the corrupt corporate world which pays them nothing and respects them less. The government then steps in with food stamps and welfare money that some families desperately need to survive - but now the government is putting food on the table, not Dad. How humiliating for the hard working father that his family must be dependent on the system for support instead of on him.

Money itself replaces the role a father should play in his families life. Money becomes the the deciding factor in what the family can posses not the sweat of the father's brow or the creativity of his craftsmanship. A father can no longer use his intellect to trade, work or barter for his families needs, they are all placed in a limiting box with a huge dollar sign on the side.

Getting the family back on a healthy track is noble crusade and a difficult task. Where are you sleuthing out Replacers in your life? Can you think of some I may have missed? What can we do about it?

Heavenly Mother Maiden Blogroll!

2010-06-27T11:01:00.000-07:00

The Blogroll is here!

Heavenly Mother Maiden Blogroll

Sign up! Sign up! Let's get this rolling :)

*** Update: Blogger was glitching earlier on the link, should be fine now :)

Strawberry Moon

2010-06-26T20:49:00.000-07:00

Full moon blessings!

"It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Sela" Ps. 89: 37

Plum Brownies!!

2010-06-25T10:26:00.000-07:00

I invented this yesterday while cleaning out my cupboards, it's DELICIOUS!

Wheat-free, sugar free Plum Brownies!

1 cup apple sauce
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup honey or agave
1/2 cup stevia
1 cup coconut oil or melted butter
12 oz baking chocolate, unsweetened
12 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp salt
1 cup millet flour
1 cup oat flour
2 cup plums cut in half

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Melt oil or butter in a sauce pan, add apple sauce and mix well, add molasses, stevia and honey stir until combined well. Set aside 10 minutes to cool. Melt chocolate in a pan, add to oil, apple sauce and sweetener mix, whisk until smooth. Add eggs two at a time, whisking in between. Add vanilla, salt and flour. Stir until well combined. Pour into a buttered casserole dish. Place plums along the top, skin side down. If plums are tart drizzle with agave, honey or maple syrup. You also make this with apples or peaches or you can skip adding fruit.

Bake for approximately 45-50 minutes until tooth pic inserted comes out clean. Cool until firm.

Subscribe Via Email!

2010-06-24T15:16:00.000-07:00

Check my side bar for our latest MLG feature, subscribe to my blog and have my posts directly sent to your email in box!

Such a Boy

2010-06-24T09:57:00.000-07:00

I think Ronan has out grown his rainbow and pig tail phase. He still likes to wear the occasional pink shirt or put a hair clip in his hair but most days - he's ALL boy!

Here's a picture that Nykki took of Ronan when I let them take the camera outside the other day. You never know what kids will do when you let them have the camera for a bit!

Dads - Take Your Sons to Work

2010-06-22T07:14:00.000-07:00

As I recently discussed on my series Boys and Men, between the ages of 7 and 14 a boy greatly esteems his father and needs to learn his father's trade in a hands-on way.

"Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work." John 5:17

However we live in an industrial society now. Papa no longer works on the homestead or a shop out back of the house. Papa goes somewhere - somewhere little boys and young men are not expected to go.

Let's challenge this notion! Just as women are standing up and fighting for their right to be homemakers and to stay home with their children and train them up right, so we must allow young boys to satisfy their souls along side their Papas!

"But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand." Isa 64:8

As I suggested in my series Papa could take his sons to work for 15 minutes in the morning or evening, to help him get set up for the day or help him wrap things up in the evening before going home. In this post I want to offer some more specific ways that Papas with different sorts of jobs can take their children to work.

The Desk Job

If Papa is a lawyer, engineer or business executive he most likely falls into the "desk job" category. These Papas should bring their sons to work as often as they can for 15 minutes in the morning and evening.

In the morning the boys can get their Dad a cup of coffee, unpack his brief case, help him organize his schedule for the day, lay out his paper work, read off the headlines of the briefs he must go over for the day, etc. The boys should also be respectful and kind to his secretary. They should call her Ma'am and bring her the occasional trinket or treat. They should be taught to respect this woman and anyone else "under" their father.

Truck Driver

Depending on Papa's schedule this can be one of the easiest jobs to take a son to. I know a truck driver who brought his whole family with him on many of his cross country drives. When workable the sons can travel with their father once or twice per week. Get their muscles moving helping to unload those crates or boxes, you can bet they will sleep well when they get home!

Department, Grocery or Retail Store

Again, if your boss is OK with it, try the 15 minutes in the morning and evening routine. Boys can help sort stock, help Papa go over product orders and offer suggestions, put back returns or hang hangers. If the boss is not willing to let Papa take this time during work have Papa offer to work 15 minutes, three times per week with his sons off the clock.

Construction

Most sites aren't safe for younger guys but Papa can bring his son by a few times per week, after hours and explain what tools he uses and how they are constructing the building. The son can then see the progress his father is making.

If All Else Fails...

If it truly is impossible for Papa to include his son in any aspect of his work then include him in Papa's hobbies. Have them work on projects together such as repairing a car, maintaining the lawn, painting the house, going to chess club, cooking, fishing, etc.

Projects that they can work on together which have a start, middle and completion are important to develop a good work ethic in boys. The projects should take a while and require hard work (mental or physical).

In our family we go up and meet Papa at work for a picnic lunch when we can. Nykki helps to haul compost, dig holes, mix soil, etc. (for those who don't know Papa is a farmer)

I'd love to hear additional suggestions and real life stories! Please share!

Summer Blessings!

2010-06-21T10:46:00.000-07:00

Summer Solstice is here! Ring in summer with bright warm smiles and much basking in the sunshine!

"Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: thou hast made summer and winter." Ps 74:17

I am so happy that our Heavenly Parents in their glory and wisdom decided to create the seasons! What a wonderful way to experience the circle of life and the beauty of our earth!

I encourage us all to give thanks today for the sunshine which grows our food, for the warmth and dryness provided by this season, for the energy, love and compassion we receive from this glorious time of year! Blessed Be!

5 Gifts to Give Your Husband on Father's Day and You Don't Even Have to Shop for Them!

2010-06-19T19:25:00.000-07:00

1. Your Admiration

Admire you husband today for what he does and who he is. Tell him, "I admire that you..." and then compliment him on something manly such as his since of protection, his hard work, his broad shoulders, etc.

2. Your Acceptance

Tell your husband that you love and accept him just as he is and that you will work hard to never try and change him.

3. A Relaxed Space

The next time he comes home from work, and every time he comes home, be sure to comb your hair, rosy your cheeks, tidy up the children and home and bring him a cool or hot drink.

4. Kindness

The next time you're mad at him let it go. Give him the gift of NOT pointing out what you think his failures are.

5. Your Devotion

Make him number one in your life and tell him so.

These ideas were inspired by Fascinating Womanhood by Helen Andelin

Camping Part Two: Pictures!

2010-06-19T10:08:00.000-07:00

First fishing trip

Papa retrieves a stuck hook

Opa casts Nykki's line

Fishin' with Papa

Opa lights the birthday candles

Papa in the woods

Nykki and Ronan enjoy a camp out meal with their cousins

Camping Part One : Preperation

2010-06-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

The best part of camping is the food. Yummy fire roasted dishes and treats. Here are some of my favorite camping recipes.

Wheat-free, Sugar-free Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

We call these "fruity oaty bars", people who have seen the movie "Serenity" are chuckling or saying "Miranda" LOL At any rate, they are a great and an easy breakfast treat to make before the trip and have on hand.

Bar Mix:
1 1/4 cups rice flour
1 1/4 cups oats
1/4 cup stevia, agave or maple syrup
3/4 cup butter (soft) or olive oil
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 Eggs

Fruit:
About 10 oz of your favorite fruit spread or pureed plums

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan.

2. For bar mix, in large mixing bowl combine all ingredients. Stir until well
mixed. Hold out 1 cup of mixture; press remaining mixture into prepared baking pan.

3. For filling, spread fruit to within 1/2-inch from edge of crumb mixture; sprinkle with reserved mixture.

4. Bake for 22 to 27 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool completely. Cut into bars.

Healthy S'mores

These are wheat-free and sugar free!

Sugar-free, homemade Marshmallow Recipe

Easy Wheat-free Graham Crackers

Homemade Chocolate Bars

1 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup stevia or agave
1 cup coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla

Heat everything together in a pan, stirring constantly until well mixed and coconut oil is melted and stevia powder is not crunchy. Transfer to a buttered mold or baking dish, place in fridge over night, cut into bars or chips.

Fire Pockets

These are great to make on the trip and taste WONDERFUL!

Chop yams, red peppers, onions and yellow squash into small pieces. Wrap them n tin foil leaving a small opening. Pour either soy sauce, Braggs or beer (one table spoon per one cup of veggies) into pocket, seal and place on the side of the fire for about a half an hour. Remove with tongs, let cool to the touch and enjoy!

Completing Him Challenge

2010-06-14T09:46:00.000-07:00

I've come in a week late but I'm participating in the "Completing Him Challenge" from Living Well.

This is week one and the challenge is to "Post Pictures from your dating days (or tell us all about it!). Think about one thing you used to do or have as a couple that you have lost in the shuffle of life. How can you regain it?"

I met Seth at his parent's house. He had recently gotten out of the Navy and I had just moved to California. I remember being so impressed with his quick wit, his calm and gentle nature and his broad shoulders :) After talking with him a few times I prayed every night for a week straight that he might feel the same way about me as I did about him.

The beach was the scene for our first days of dating. Even though the water was literally freezing Seth would jump in and swim!!

We dated for about 3 months. It was a quick whirl-wind romance but the second we started dating we just knew we were a family, that we were meant to be together. All these years later not a day goes by that I don't KNOW he is my soul mate.

As a couple we were more care free. Obviously we didn't have the challenge of three children and a high pressure job to deal with! LOL! I am trying to regain some of that care free nature. I've worked on putting a lightness in my step and I've taken up humming especially in the morning and evening when Seth is home.

I imagine I'm a little fairy, flitting about on a soft breeze.

On a side note, today is Nykki's 7th birthday!! We are leaving tomorrow for a camping and fishing trip with the cousins! Read Nykki's birth story here. Happy birthday my big guy! Thank you for making me a mother!

Radical Tolerance

2010-06-12T10:33:00.000-07:00

Like Mary Poppins, I'm practically perfect in every way......Not!

Sometimes I get mad. I get mad at the guy who just cut me off, I get mad at the people drinking Starbucks, I get mad at the people who hand my kids candy without asking.

I'm guilty of making judgments too. I do it without thinking. She's too fat, he's too dirty, they eat the wrong food and blah blah blah.

Stop.

I made up my mind a long time ago that I wanted to stop doing this but how does one change a habit so ingrained since childhood?

By practicing radical tolerance.

Step One: I assume I do not know the full story because I DO NOT.

Step Two: I recognize their right to make a different choice.

Step Three: I practice instead of preaching and know that my actions speak so loud that my words are drowned out.

Step Four: I try to follow through with my words.

For example, instead of saying, "Ack! That frakin' jerkwad just cut me off! What an idiot!" I say (most of the time tee hee) "Ugh, I didn't agree with his choice."

It really re-frames the moment. I find my different words help to mold different thoughts and I don't get as angry or judgmental. The journey to true "niceness" is a long and hard one. We must make choices everyday, and so must everyone else.

Zevia!

2010-06-11T12:31:00.000-07:00

A dream come true! A naturally sweetened, zero calorie soda and it tastes great! I'm not getting paid to say this, I just honestly want to share the news!!!

Making Your Own Diaper Wipes

2010-06-10T10:42:00.000-07:00

Step One: Cut out some sturdy paper towels or flannels cloths (for re-usables)

Step Two: Mix up a bowl of water with about 4 teaspoons of your favorite, mild soap and a dash of your favorite essential oil

Step Three: Gently wet and then ring out the towels

Step Four: Place the wipes in an air tight container

Simple, easy, homemade - just for baby tushies. What could be more fun?

High Protein Lunches for the Vegetarian Papa

2010-06-07T10:42:00.000-07:00

My husband is a vegetarian, that having been said he likes a high protein diet. Here are some meals I make for him to take to work...

Peanut Butter sandwich on high protein, whole grain bread
Hard boiled Egg
Cheese stick
Apple

Cup of mixed nuts
Sliced cheese and avocado sandwich
Hard Boiled Egg
Orange

Pan fried, sprouted, fermented tofu
Hard Boiled Egg
Cheese sticks
Banana

Black bean burrito or taco
Celery with Peanut butter
Hard Boiled Egg
Grapes

Yam sandwich (you can bake the yam or my hubby likes it raw)
Hard boiled egg
Cup of peanuts
Peach

And yes, he uses brown bags and sandwich baggies because reusable containers NEVER come home! LOL I figure it's not worth the fight, Mother Earth forgive me.

Series: Men and Boys - Part 4, The Top 10

2010-06-05T11:04:00.000-07:00

This is the fourth and finale post in a series I wrote on men and boys. These posts are aimed at gaining a deeper level of understanding for the men and boys in our lives and how our attitudes and actions affect the relationships we have with the our precious male people.

I welcome your feedback, questions and suggestions. If you would like to guest post on this series email me please at aylayoga at gmail dot com

The Top 10 Things to Do for Your Men Right Now

1. Love them, unconditionally.

Love your boys manly traits, guide him gently and love your husband for who he is, do not try and change him. JUST LOVE.

2. In media seek out good examples and prevent bad ones.

Encourage your young boy's interest in in heroes and strong leaders by providing good books, stories, and movies about admirable men. Do not allow them to take part in media which is degrading to men/boys, masculinity or which channels their natural abilities into gratuitous violence.

3. Step Back

Make sure that you're not trying to "do it all" both for your sake and the sake of your husband and boys. Why stress out trying to control when and how your men are doing something? Allow them to take the reins, do not push or dominate.

4. Pick Your Battles

Along with stepping back, let go. Let your boys climb trees, let your husband blow off steam how he sees fit (i.e. going fishing, hanging with the guys, time alone, etc.) Choose to voice concern only over those things that truly need concern such as abuse, neglect, etc. Your men will be much more likely to hear you if you're not always nagging them.

5. Men are men, women are women.

Recognize that men and boys are not women. They do not want the same things as you, they do not value the same things as you, they do not react to things like you do. Once you recognize it, value it in words, thoughts and deeds.

6. Mother when appropriate

When your son is 7 and under smother him with love. Once he is older, guide him with help from the men in your life and community. You're always his mother but you are not his "hover." Do not mother your husband. That's not what he needs from you. He has a mother already, be his biggest supporter, the president of his fan club and let him live his life the way he sees fit. He's a big boy, I promise.

7. Need Them

Need your boys and men. Ask for their help. Give yourself a break from being superwoman and let them be your supermen.

8. Watch your words, watch your actions

You wouldn't laugh at a racist joke, why laugh at an anti-man joke? Honor your men, little and big and don't support feminism run amuck instead value equal worth.

9. Get in tune with Mother Earth

She has so many examples of the balance and the natural roles of the masculine and feminine. Look to the animals and the plants, see their wisdom.

10. Honor yourself, educate yourself

Respect and honor your role as wife and mother. Value it. Then see how you can use it to support your family's team - your family mission. Read at least one book per year aimed at gaining a deeper insight into men and boys.

So this concludes my Men and Boys Series. This is a wrap up of one woman's ideas on understanding our men. I'm not saying it's gospel truth - just my opinion based on my research and experiences. I hope you have enjoyed it, I hope you have gotten something out of it. I hope at the very least that it was thought provoking.

I love feedback on this!

Series: Men and Boys – Part 3, Raising Future Leaders and Providers

2010-06-03T11:42:00.000-07:00

This is the third post in a series I'm writing over the course of the next week on men and boys. These posts are aimed at gaining a deeper level of understanding for the men and boys in our lives and how our attitudes and actions affect the relationships we have with the our precious male people.

I welcome your feedback, questions and suggestions. If you would like to guest post on this series email me please at aylayoga at gmail dot com

Part 3, Raising Future Leaders and Providers

As we have discussed in section two of this series raising boys in today’s society is a challenge for a variety of reasons. There exists so much to drive our sons off track on their way to manhood, and there existed so much to drive our husbands off track when they were being raised.

Today’s post is about raising our boys to be the future leaders and providers their souls crave to be and to help us as wives and mother’s sustain the men in our lives to this position of leadership and responsibility, remembering that our husbands may not have had strong values instilled in them as young men and that we must be patient and supportive as we aide them on their path in the family mission.

Our young men today are in crisis. Many have been raised without strong father figures or consistent guidance. Those with a solid family background are challenged in other ways. They are hounded by our media driven culture which subverts the natural male instinct to proudly lead and provide and channels that nature instead into selfishness, video games, violent movies, military extremism and careless sexual attitudes.

If a boy can manage to avoid those pitfalls with a strong family and a healthy character he must then face the challenge of living in a society where feminism has gone so off track that women proudly call themselves “bitches” and behave thusly. A community where it is completely acceptable to degrade men in favor of holding women up to be the nobler and smarter half of the human race.

He will have to try and balance a social attitude which tells him he is both ignorant, smelly, sex obsessed, and dumb yet must provide unwavering support to a female community which proudly boasts in song, movies, poetry, books, looks, and words that they do not like or need him. How many times have you heard this; “Once women find out how to make sperm they’ll just get rid of all the men, they won’t need us after that. Ha ha.”

Our boys and men must live as second class citizens in their own homes for a social movement gone amuck. When I had my first son I proudly placed him in a little T-shirt which read “I love my feminist Momma.” Now I believe in equality of worth for both men and women but as I bring up my three little boys my heart aches at what over-blown feminism has done to the way we treat our men and boys.

I want my sons to be strong leaders and providers for my future daughters-in-law and grandchildren. I also want to raise boys who are not afraid to work hard for their family and to do what is best in guiding the next generation. In short I don’t want my son’s emasculated, degraded or put down.

To this end I am raising my sons to be strong leaders and good providers. In our home they will…

1. Learn to be proud, responsible, constant , consistent providers for their home through hard work and skill

2. Learn to love their wife and children

3. Learn to take the lead in the family gently, with kindness and input from family members when appropriate

4. Learn to be expressive enough to have honest dialogues with their wives about their family’s direction

5. Be strong enough to keep their sense of value and self worth in a society which is degrading to men and masculinity

6. Honor their role as stewards of Mother Earth and protectors of the feminine

The best way children learn these virtues is by example. They will learn to be proud providers if they see their fathers take on this role and especially if they see their mothers honor it. Remember, boys are raised predominately by their mothers; it is HER example which will set the stage for the man he will become. If their mothers speak ill of the father when he is away, openly criticize or ridicule him, if the mother picks fights or makes unfair demands upon her husband this is what young boys will learn is OK. One of the most important things parents can do is openly model a balanced, harmonious lifestyle to their children.

As women we must remember that men express their love differently than we do. We shower our children with affection through words and actions, men shower their love and attention upon us by providing a roof over our heads and food on our table. Remind your children of their father’s love and how he shows it. Encourage them to be openly thankful and respectful to their father. Remind them that honoring daddy’s decisions is the way they can participate in the family mission, in their family team.

When your boys are little take pride in sheltering them from negative influences. We tell our sons that video games will hurt their growing brains thus they are not allowed to play them until they are eighteen. In the same way they are not allowed to watch movies which are gratuitously violent or movies in which the characters are shown as openly disrespectful or movies which are overly feminist and degrading to men (I’ll be writing a post about this more in-depth later).

I remind my sons everyday that they are strong and responsible men. That they are honoring our Heavenly Parents and themselves by taking care of their family and their earth. I instill them with a sense of pride and duty in everything from taking out the compost to changing a diaper and I do not let them shirk responsibility in the hope that one day they will be the future leaders and providers our world needs.

Series: Men and Boys - Part 2 The Bridge

2010-05-31T13:32:00.000-07:00

This is the second post in a series I'm writing over the course of the next week on men and boys. These posts are aimed at gaining a deeper level of understanding for the men and boys in our lives and how our attitudes and actions affect the relationships we have with the our precious male people.

I welcome your feedback, questions and suggestions. If you would like to guest post on this series email me please at aylayoga at gmail dot com

Part 2 The Bridge

I use to think girls were easier to raise for one main reason, they have very distinct growth cycles that I can honor. Her change into womanhood and what she needed from me at that time would be more apparent than a it would be with a boy, I assumed. When I gave birth to my first son I wasn't sure when he would change or which mild stones of his life I should honor or how.

Don and Jeanne Elium in their book, Raising a Son; Parents and the Making of a Healthy Man relate the development of boys to crossing over a bridge. If boys make a healthy transition each time they will ripen fully into healthy manhood.

From Mom to Dad

When a baby boy is born he is in his mother's world, completely. She is his moon and his stars, his day and his night - his whole being is in her. Around age seven a boy begins to be ready to leave his mother's world and walk across his first bridge into the world of his father.

For the next seven years a boy should be learning about his father's world. Working side by side with him when at all possible. He will make his most important connection to his father during these years. He will be very interested in what Dad does for a living and he will be happiest when helping with that.

These are the best years for father-son fishing trips and father-son talks. A boy will hang on his father's every word and it is crucial that the father model the best possible behavior during this period in his son's life. This includes no drinking, no smoking, respecting Mom, being patient with siblings, etc.

Some good ideas for this time period include;

- The son going to work with Dad whenever and however possible. Even 10 minutes here and there can make a huge difference.

- On days off Dad should be spending at least 4-5 hours, straight, with his sons in this age group. Working on cars, building a soap box car, playing sports, playing board games, going to the movies, ice skating, golfing, attending worship services, etc.

- Dad should take the lead in instructing his son during this time. Dad should be the ultimate authority in the house. In order to get across his bridge that son must distance himself from his mother at this time and that usually takes the form of refusing her requests, talking back, being rude, or general mischief. Dad should guide the son lovingly to help the son and mom during this time.

- Once Dad has had some space to himself after work, if he is up for processing his day he should do so by talking with is son about the challenges he faced and how he handled them.

- Dad should be a respectable figure and a leader. What are Dad's strengths? Good coach? Good chess player? Good writer? Spiritual? During this time in the son's life Dad should lead a group or activity he enjoys such as volunteering at church, coaching sports, leading a men's book club, directing a chess club, etc.

- Mom should respect Dad. Mom should show a good example by giving her partner love, attention and respect. She should not harp on her husband's "faults" especially around her son. No man is perfect but a boy needs to respect his Dad during this time irregardless of grown up issues. That's not to say Mom should let Dad be abusive. We all can recognize the difference between kind devotion and a door mat.

From Dad to the World

When a boy reaches about 14 it is time for him to leave his father's world and walk across the bridge which leads into his community. He has now fully absorbed his father and mother's worlds, what he can learn from them and what he cannot. Now he must learn from his community.

This is the stage where friendships and family become crucial. The boy at this age needs mentors - karate instructors, Uncles, neighbors, etc. If they are not there and waiting a boy can fall into unhealthy mentoring situations such as gangs or simply "hanging out with the wrong crowd."

This is the classic time when both Mom and Dad "know nothing" according to their teenage son. That's OK, he's on a journey now to find out what truth means for him. You've given him a solid foundation, he will find his way.

Some ideas for this time period are;

- Have your son involved in clubs and events and be sure to try and make friends with the male leaders of these groups and events. One good example is boy scouts or spiral scouts.

- Dad should have some good male friends who make healthy role models. Dad should plan group activities with these friends and their children such as camping trips, monthly bowling night or white water rafting.

- If a boy is upset and wont talk to his parents find someone he would be willing to talk to. Perhaps an uncle, friend or neighbor.

- If a boy is especially upset find a good, male, counselor to work with your son.

- Arrange mentoring opportunities. Volunteer work is the best and it can revolve around a boy's interest such as the coast guard, fire department, boy scouts, chess club, a local CSA etc.

Raising boys today isn't easy. We can all take a look around and see this world failing our young men every day. The tribal lifestyle we once led included a natural rhythm where boys would learn all the skills they needed from the village men at the proper time -this no longer exists.

Nowadays we must seek out experiences to mimick this pattern within our own lifestyles so that our boys can grown up with the attention and skills they need to be happy, healthy, thriving adults. What greater gift can a parent give this world then a healthy man who will enrich and inspire the people around him?

Series: Men and Boys, Part 1 - Allowing for Protection

2010-05-29T10:40:00.000-07:00

This is the first post in a series I'm writing over the course of the next week on men and boys. These posts are aimed at gaining a deeper level of understanding for the men and boys in our lives and how our attitudes and actions affect the relationships we have with the our precious male people.

I welcome your feedback, questions and suggestions. If you would like to guest post on this series email me please at aylayoga at gmail dot com

Part 1 - Allowing for Protection

Men have a need to protect. This is the male side of the nurturing coin. Women protect as well. We are fierce Mama Bears when it comes to our young but unlike women men don't protect simply to nurture those they love when called upon, no, they have a deep, passionate longing to protect something vulnerable nearly everyday. It is rooted in their DNA and in their soul. Their genes tell them, a good man, a successful man, protects that which is weaker, the woman and children.

So here is where modern life complicates matters. In the wild women are weaker, more at risk. In general we do not have the muscle mass of men and pregnancy and child bearing make it more difficult for us to flee from predators or fight off an attacking tribe.

Women today own their own homes with alarm systems. They are police women and soldiers. They have jobs, earn their own money and buy their own food. We no longer need men to protect us or our children and we act like it. So what then happens to this deep need men have to protect us?

My theory is the man whose biological and spiritual nature to protect is halted will do one of two things. The first option is to deattach. If he's not needed why should he even try? Men will separate themselves fully from the relationship they have with their wife and children in regards to care taking. He may think, if Ms. Supermom can do it all why is he even around? Here is where the deadbeat dad is born. He skips out mentally, emotionally, physically or all three because he cannot function naturally.

The second option is to find an enemy, any enemy. He MUST protect his family from something and if nothing exists then he must invent something. This is where Glenn Beck is born. Someone is an enemy hell-bent on destroying his family so it must be; Iraq, terrorists, illegal immigrants, homosexuals, Jews, atheists, socialism - any danger he can "see." He will lash out at this danger however he see fit.

We see these traits in our boys. Their all encompassing OBSESSION with guns and weapons of any kind. Their drive to fight and defend. We can tell our boys that guns are bad all we want but their body, mind and soul tells them different. It tells them guns are good. Guns get food, guns keep away enemies - guns good.

So what do we women do to hold space for this reality? We be weak. (I can hear you gasping). I'm not saying we need to be a princess in a tower completely and wholly dependent upon a man - no that's too unbalanced in the other direction. What I am saying is we need to make him feel like we need him.

We don't have to fain weakness either. We simply notice our own weaknesses and accept that part of the beauty of being in a relationship is that we help each other out. We allow our men to protect us. We remind them how much we need them whenever we can. Not in a clingy, desperate way, not in an "adding to his stress with our demands" kind of way but in a humble, appreciative way.

Here are some examples of things we can do with our husbands.

- Let him earn the money. I believe every woman should have a savings account for an emergency as well as a trade or education but especially if you have children together - let him earn the money and tell him how thankful you are that he does so.

- Cuddle up close to him in scary situations i.e. horror movies, camping at night, a dark street. Ask him to go into the house first to make sure it's OK when you come home late at night.

- When you're upset and fighting don't EVER tell him you don't need him. Don't tell him "I could get my own place and work for my Aunt So-in-so, I don't need you!"

- Recognize his attempts to protect you and encourage it. If he doesn't want you out passed midnight on your girls night out because he's afraid for you, respect that.

- Let him take the lead in situations of safety. If the car breaks down on the side of the road don't argue about the best plan of action. Let him take the reigns and decide how to proceed.

- The most important thing, really HONOR all of the above. Don't fold your arms and think inside sarcastically, "I'll let the 'big man' handle this one." No, actually be gracious inside as well as out because the human species would not be here if it wasn't for the protective abilities of men, and that's OK to acknowledge.

Here are some examples of how to honor the protective needs of our boys.

- Channel their fighting energy into "the good fight." Read stories about strong men who helped and saved others (fiction or non) with the strength of their muscles as well as their minds. Some good examples are; Dr. Martin Luther King, Robin Hood, Jesus, Krishna, Rowan of Rin (by Emily Rudd), George Washington, etc.

- Give them something to protect. Especially if they have no younger siblings to help out with, make sure they have a pet. Let them be especially involved in the protection of that pet such as building a cage or backyard play area.

- Get them out in the community protecting and defending the weak. Volunteer at a soup kitchen or animal shelter. Sign older boys up for life guard training.

- Let them take some risks, let them feel in control. Once they are strong enough ask them to help you when you need it. I know a woman who went out walking a trail and dusk came quicker than she realized. She was frightened that there may be bob cats or bears out so she called her 16 year-old son on the phone and asked him to come to the trail and walk her home.

Life is about balance. Humans are meant to be in pairs, in families so that we can balance each other. Allow yourself to be protected and watch the beauty of your men unfold before you in a healthy expression of their deep selves.

We're Moving!

2010-05-28T11:14:00.000-07:00

I haven't been blogging much lately. I've been super busy because we are moving to Boulder, CO! We've been looking at moving to either Utah or Colorado for a few years now and all the sudden everything has come together for us to be in CO!

We're moving in mid-July! I have a month and a half to get our house packed up, cleaned up and ready to go!

The down side is that Seth will not be coming with us at first. He has to finish his job here which ends in December. We'll be living with my mom until Seth comes out. Moving three boys, myself and two guinea pigs half way across the country is going to be an adventure!

Boulder here we come!

5 Must-Do Summer Projects

2010-05-25T11:12:00.000-07:00

Summer is nearly here, what will you and your family be doing? Here are some ideas...

1. Create a Family Book

This can be a group or individual project. The first thing you need is a theme. Some ideas include; your favorite scripture story or a story you want to develop a better connection with, a family story or legend, an imaginative story about the family pet(s), a story from American history or the history of the country your ancestors are from, etc.

Second you will need to chose how the book will be bound. Some ideas are a hand sewn book, scrapbook, notebook with clear plastic insert sheets, or you can have it bound at your local print shop.

Chose some paper, then a lay out. Will words be on one side and pictures on another? Will the words be under the pictures? Will you hand write it or use the computer? How about the art work? Will you draw, use cut outs from magazines, paint, sketch, use computer graphics, photographs, or some combination thereof?

Who will see it when you're done? Will you keep it just for the family? Use it as a coffee table book and conversation piece? Maybe you can self publish it so family members can have a copy using sights like Outskirt Press, LuLu, or Instant Publisher?

2. Volunteer on a Farm

No matter how urban you maybe there are always local farms within an hour or two. Be sure to give your children the gift of a hard days work and the knowledge of where their food comes from. Don't just spend one day, try to commit to a routine such as once a week or once a month at the least.

To contact a farm near you visit Pick Your Own or Local Harvest. If you can't find information there for your area find you nearest Farmer's Market and ask the farmers themselves.

3. Vote!

Elections are here, get your family involved. Pick one or two local causes you really believe in or one or two local candidates you wish to see elected and hit the streets!

In the last elections we had here in Mendocino County Nykki and I got involved in the "No on A" campaign. It was an amazing learning experience for both of us.

4. Find a Way to Support Your Local Independent Book Store!

We have a crisis going on in our country right now. Across the nation local bookstore are being run out of business. Our local store, Leaves of Grass, is shutting it's doors for good in only a few days. These stores, like other local business are the back bone of America, don't let yours fade away.

Support them with you dollars but also volunteer your time. Offer to help out around the store stocking books or helping customers. Offer to hold a bake sale to help raise advertising dollars or re-do the children's book section. Offer to host a children's story time and be sure it's advertised in the local papers!

Remind everyone you know that most local book stores can order any book you want and can have it to you in a few days.When you need a book, think of your local bookstore first!

5. Hold a Messy Day

At least a few times this summer get messy! Make a mud hole, fill the kiddie pool with Jell-o, make and use body paints (here's a good, natural recipe), hold an outside food fight with things like mashed potatoes, baked yams or creamed corn or turn the kiddie pool into a bubble bath and add some natural food coloring.

Have a hose handy, spray off and you're good to go!

Sunday Stations

2010-05-24T09:39:00.000-07:00

This month's LDS Living Magazine was overflowing with awesome, family based activities and suggestions. What I loved best was the article, My Great Idea: Sunday Stations by Amy Ambridge.

We observe the Sabbath in our family with no movies and no Internet from after dinner Saturday night to after dinner on Sunday night. We also limit shopping to emergencies only.

My children are use to no movies and are not aloud online but sometimes, usually a few hours before dinner they start to get restless especially if they can't go outside because of bad weather.

So yesterday as the cold rain blew outside I set up some Sunday stations. We had a listening station which included spiritual themed music such as; El Nectur by Bob Culbertson, Celtic Heart by Steve Hall and Eric Rigler, Voices Across the Canyon Vol. 4, Avalon and the soundtrack to Practical Magic.

I set up a writing station with coloring pages from back issues of Blessed Bee, a chalk board and chalk, paper and crayons. Our reading station included LDS Living Magazines, the Quad, Circle Round, A Lot of Otters, Good Fairies/Bad Fairies, and other spiritual themed reading and pictures.

The kids LOVED it and are begging for stations today! LOL I may set these up for our daily home school as well. I'm thinking of a reading and writing station everyday along with a station for the theme of that day, like today is "math."

What a success! Thanks a million LDS Magazine!

Natural Strep Throat Cure - What Worked for Us

2010-05-22T10:40:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, late winter and early spring this year my family was slammed with three rounds of strep throat. We went to the doctor each time and were placed on heavy duty antibiotics. The antibiotics worked about 95% but the lingering 5% of the strep would just regroup and strike again in a few weeks. It was NASTY and hurt somethin' awful.

After I completed the third round of antibiotics I could still fell the strep hiding out in the very back of my throat and in my ears. It was regrouping and fast! I thought about going back to the doctor but my stomach was in such distress after three rounds of antibiotics. I couldn't stand the thought of something tougher in my system.

I had tried natural remedies the first two times I was sick and they hadn't made a dent. I was worried about trying another natural route but worried about the conventional route as well. I decided that if I was going to lick this puppy it was most venerable right after my last treatment of antibiotics.

After I competed my meds I began to take huge daily doses of garlic (three times a day with meals) along with probiotics, zinc, coliodal silver, Vit. D and Vit. C. I was preventing it from regrouping but I could still fell it there. Anytime I missed a garlic dose it would start getting stronger.

Seth could feel his regrouping as well but after working on the land, in the sunshine, his went away on it's own. So I began spending a minimum of two hours everyday in the sun and I switched from the coliodal silver drops to a spray I sprayed directly in the back of my throat. I also started spraying very diluted amounts of oregano and olive leaf in the back of my throat several times per day.

It seems to have disappeared finally! I haven't treated it in weeks now and I have felt no regrouping! No symptoms! Thought I would share! This trick only worked when the virus was already down but we had a a very rough strain. This combo might work if you catch a regular step early enough or if you feel yours regrouping after meds.

Here's wishing health to you and yours always!

Please Stop Texting

2010-05-21T12:45:00.000-07:00

This is a plea to humanity - the Western, industrialized part of it anyway. Please stop texting! Sometimes when I'm forced to leave my wooded home and venture into town for sundries I want to pull my hair out! People, people, everywhere - texting!

The kids and I went to the "big" city 40 minutes south of us earlier this week. We needed to buy some new blue jeans for the kids and I thought I would pick up some groceries. Since it was a long trip we decided to have a picnic lunch at the huge city park. The kids love that park and I was happy to oblige.

We got to the park and I settled down with the babe on a bench, unpacked the food and released the children to climb the ropes, ride the slides and make all sorts of merriment. After a few moments I started to feel very uncomfortable. I wasn't sure at first what it was. I looked around at the busy park and took note of the families.

Fathers and mothers were walking around, hunched shoulders, cell phone in one hand, pushing buttons with their thumbs at a rapid pace. They seemed lost in another world. No one was talking to each other, no one was looking at each other. Everyone had their heads down, engrossed in their cell phone activities - staring at a screen.

Children at the park pleaded to their parents for attention. Calls of "Look at me go down the slide!" or "Dad come push me!" or "See how high I can climb all by myself?" were greeted with grunts from the parents who usually did not look up from their tiny screens. No one was present. It was as if their bodies where all up, walking around but their minds were gone because their minds really WHERE gone.

They were zombies, slaves to the screen. For what? What could they possibly be doing that was THAT important and why weren't they setting aside time to do it instead of pretending to take their children to the park while they escaped into V-world?

We are going to end up raising a generation of virtual people who don't know how to talk to others, interact with others or even just be with others.

Living without a cell phone I often feel like a survivor of some end-times event. I wonder through the grocery store with no other "humans" present. Just ghostly images of where people use to be. I'm the only one looking forward. The only one smiling. The only one not engaged with a cell phone either talking or texting. I've witnessed people who NEVER take their blue tooth head set off! I wonder if they sleep with it on?

I watched shows like Caprica and see the holo-bands the characters wear which take them to a virtual world and I think - how long? How long until that REALLY happens? Or Wall-e? How long until we are sitting in hovering chairs only talking to other people via a computer screen? How long? Not long. It's right around the corner people, it really is.

*Clap, clap!* It's time to wake up! Please! I'm begging my fellow human beings. Show some restraint. Put the phone down. Back away slowly. Communicate with real people in meaningful ways. Please stop texting!

Elfland

2010-05-17T09:49:00.000-07:00

We've been playing a game in our house where Avington is His Royal Majesty King Avington Fife, King of all Elfland! It's a really fun way to motivate the older boys. They will do something if king Avington tells them too (via the Queen Mum of course since his royal highness does not speak to commoners).

On the theme of Elfland and I wanted to share this with you. Some thought bumbling about my brain.

Jerusalem as Elfland

In the book “Circle Round; Raising Children in the Goddess Tradition”, the author Starhawk retells the thirteenth-century Scottish ballad of Thomas the Rhymer as a Beltane tale. In this tale we learn traditional, pagan European, held beliefs about the land of Elves and Fairies. It’s amazing how closely the description of Jerusalem sounds to Elfland in Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5.

In Revelation it says, “In the Spirit the angel carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem…” Ancient legends about the world of the Elves and Fairies tells us that the Fairy and Elf spirits live in mounds (hills, mountains) reffered to as “Fairy Mounds.” These are not the little sprites of Peter Pan but are powerful nature energies who lay behind the physical world.

The reading goes on to say, “the city has no need of sun and moon to shine on it…” In the tale of “Thomas the Rymer” it is said of Elfland that the sun and moon do not need to shine there. Thomas is gifted with a tongue which can only speak the truth after he serves the Elfland Queen. In Revelations it is said that no unclean thing will enter Jerusalem nor any falsehoods will be practiced.

In some legends of the Celtic people the Tree of Life is held in the Fairy realm and blooms throughout the year. In Jerusalem there is said to be a tree of life with twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are used for healing.

In the Episcopal tradition this passage of Revelation is read as the second reading the Sixth Sunday of Easter, placing it very near to Beltane, the ancient holiday celebrated by the Pagan peoples of Europe as the time when the world of the fairies and our world are most easily traveled between.

I invite those practicing Christo-Pagans or Nature Based Christian paths to look upon Biblical Jerusalem as the Christian Elfland and see the magick contained therein. It would also be a nice addition to any Beltane practice or celebration to include thoughts, prayers, reading, descriptions, poems or artwork of Jerusalem.

When Did It Become Alright to Be a B*tch?

2010-05-15T10:28:00.000-07:00

You see them everywhere. Bumper sticker, T-shirts, pins, sometimes even signs - women declaring they are "b*tches." You've heard it on TV, "Oh, girl you're such a bitch." Followed by laughter and a high-five. As a world community, as Americans, as women, we should be outraged. When did it become OK to be a b*tch?

Maybe I'm off here but to me "b*tch" is used to suggest a woman is ruthless, selfish, loud, pushy, and willing to step on people to get her selfish way. When did that become a badge of honor? When it did it become OK to treat our fellow sisters and brothers as though they were "out to get us" and we "out b*tched" them first?

I have heard "b*tch" used to describe a woman who knows her limits is will help others but not to her own defeat or detriment. Women in our society get pushed around a lot, especially in the work place and being in touch with one's "inner b*tch" in that respect can have some use, however that power, better termed "inner strength" should be a quiet and strong force.

It should be our inner womanly tree, bending in the storm yet remaining firmly rooted in the Earth. Within the realm of the home, within our communities, with our children, neighbors and especially our partners we should not be proudly declaring ourselves "b*tches." Not only does it degrade our own self worth but who wants to be with someone who professes to be so unapologetically selfish and self centered?

What's more is I think that declaring one's self to be a "b*tch" or any other negative word missconstrued to mean "strong" allows one to to act as such and feel there are no consequences to their actions, or that there shouldn't be consquences or complaints because they have proudly warned the world via T-shirt, bumper sticker or self declaration that they are a "b*tch."

I think as people we should be humbling ourselves before our brothers and sisters and walking that fine line between being caring and being "walked on." We will all cross that line, we'll all get walked on either purposely or accidentally but the solution isn't to write off the whole of humanity and profess ourselves to proudly be "b*tches."

No, we humble ourselves, we realize our mistakes and other peoples faults, we turn our face toward our loving Heavenly Mother (or your idea of God) and ask for strength and direction and invite your sisters to do the same.

Diet

2010-05-14T09:59:00.000-07:00

So I'm on a diet. What??? You may say. Why would a healthy eating, whole foods, breastfeeding mom be on a diet and what kind of diet? So let me just say that the aim of the diet is to reset my cravings for fructose and grains (which have been throwing off my blood sugar levels) and to lose some of the post-preggo belly weight a little faster than normal. But far from limiting my food intake, I'm eating a lot of food from all the food groups.

I've come up with a diet based on the work of cardiologist Arthur Agatston and dietician Marie Almon, in combination with the theories of Dr. Weston Price and the principals behind the pre-agriculture diets also know as the hunter/gather diet. Essentially I am eating low glycemic vegetables, meats, nuts, fish, raw cheese and milk, and eggs. All organic and mostly local.

After two weeks I'll add back some fruit, in moderation, and soaked and sprouted grains in moderation but I'm hoping to give up all refined carbs all together, including potatoes and pasta. I didn't eat much pasta before but I do love potatoes.

I've been on my "diet" for about three days now and I feel good. I can already feel my middle shrinking and my blood sugar levels balancing out more. I will keep you updated and if I think the diet is a success both for health and weight loss I will post my menu.

BLessings!

From Vegan to Omnivore - My Journey

2010-05-13T10:11:00.000-07:00

Long time readers of my blog may wonder about the evolution my diet has taken over the past three years. When I began blogging I was a die hard, judgmental, vegan. I was hardcore. I would refuse to kiss anyone who had consumed dairy. I thought I was very "right". I had done all the research and what was more I wanted veganism to be true because it made me feel like I had control of ME and my peaceful spot in the world.

Then things slowly began to change. I began to doubt myself when I heard rumors about soy. I felt not quite right when I chose something laced with hydrogenated oils over cream. After Ronan was born in 2007 I had an exceptionally hard postpartum. My period came back after only 4 months, I bled very irregularly and experienced episodes of borderline psychosis.

In early fall of 2007 my inner voice was shouting "goat cheese!!" I ignored it. Then my period came and wouldn't go away. I bled for weeks. So off to my Naturopath I went. She made many suggestions but one that struck me was that I may be consuming too much soy (I was consuming a lot of it).

I quit soy then and there. My hormones settled down and my period evened out. One day after months of goat cheese craving I hurried into our local health food store and bought some goat cheese. I ate it secretly in the back of my car. I felt physically great, nourished, but mentally I felt awful.

I couldn't ignore how much vitality was in that cheese though. So I did research and found three local goat dairies who had animal practices I could live with and I began eating goat yogurt and cheese. I started thinking about veganism. I didn't know any vegan who didn't either cheat or use meat and/or dairy for their work/job. That made me question things as well.

It perplexed me. If veganism was so "natural" why did it feel so unnatural? Soon I gave up veganism and became a vegetarian only. I was sure to only eat dairy products from farmers I trusted. After more research I found out that the "line" I had bought from vegan sites such as PETA about dairy and health was totally bogus.

Raw, organic milk and dairy posed none of the problems that cooked and crushed dairy did. The vegan research was always based on commercial, treated dairy. Not grass fed, organic, raw dairy. The only research I could find on good dairy products was stellar. It was very healthy for people. I became a happy vegetarian but then in 2008 my vegetarianism was challenged.

For years we had battled my oldest son's tooth decay. His teeth started rotting out of his head at 1 1 /2 and we hadn't been able to slow it or stop it. Now, after nearly 30 years cavity free I found myself with my first cavity. If we were so healthy what the heck was going on?

We had tried everything with my son - everything except one thing, fish oil and bone broth. The research made sense to me just like the research vegans sited on dairy, the research done on animal products was never from grass fed, organic animals.

I talked things over with Seth. I was afraid for my children. Afraid for myself. I didn't want to risk my second son's teeth. We decided that Seth would stay vegetarian out of choice but the boys and I would begin eating bone broth and fish oil.

My oldest son was too far gone and needed dental surgery however I was able to reverse the damage to my teeth and my second son who is now 3 1/2 is still cavity free. Again my deeply held beliefs had been challenged. Animal products had brought us healing.

In 2009 I became pregnant with my third child. I was terribly sick this time around. I was vomiting all the time and had no energy. After months of illness I sank into depression. I felt like I had fallen into a black pit of despair from which there was no escape. I waited for what should have been simple morning sickness to pass but it only got worse.

After four months a dear friend of mine suggested the paleolithic diet. It was a heavy meat based diet. I didn't like the idea but after all my suffering I would try anything. I went to the store and bought local, sustainably raised chicken, turkey and fish.

Within 24 hours I was 98% better. I couldn't believe it! I felt great! My depression cleared up and my sickness went away! I was so happy and thankful! After a few months on this diet I cut back my meat consumption to only a few meals per week. Sometimes as little as one meal per week.

Then I tore a muscle grabbing my son from running into the road. I was in extreme pain. I could only stand/walk for a few hours per day then I was on my back with a heat pack for the rest of the day. My heart was crying out for red meat but again I ignored it. I was NOT going to eat beef.

After two months my muscle tear only seemed to get worse. I couldn't function. So I gave in, went and bought some local, grass fed hamburger. Again, within 24 hours I experienced near total healing. I could walk again and the muscle hasn't given me anymore trouble since.

Ok, I thought, I could eat meat as medicine but certainly not regularly. I was worried about the environment. Meat was hard on mother earth, wasn't it? And not to mention the killing. I wasn't comfortable taking a life for food.

Then I read Vegetarian Myth; Food, Justice and Sustainability by Lierre Keith. I was blown away! She made two really important points about the environment and the taking of life.

Environmentally, local, organic, grass fed meat causes LESS damage to the earth. A grass fed system of a grazing animal is natural unlike grain growing. You can grass feed many types of animals, produce large amounts of food and keep the whole ecosystem intact, unlike clear cutting to grow grains and beans. Animals eating their natural diet of grass produces less methane as well.

Her other point, and I want to really drive this point home. IN ORDER FOR YOU TO EAT, SOMETHING MUST DIE and there is whole lot more death in a loaf of bread or a bowl of rice than a steak. One grass fed cow can feed a human for months, a year even and it takes one life.

For you to live off the same amount of food in beans or grain requires clear cutting trees (home to many forms of life), pest control (more death), and diverting water for crops (killing more river life). In every bowl of rice there is the death of mice, squirrels, birds, fish, bugs, etc. You really aren't saving lives. You're actually taking more.

What's more is that the lives lost through grain and bean production suffer horribly from starvation or habitat destruction first. It's not a quick bullet to the brain your local grass fed cow took. It was slow and one of the most painful ways for any living creature to die.

Don't get me wrong,let me stress that factory farming is HORRID! Much, much worse than anything else. Again, the arguments of cruelty and grain consumption by animals that vegetarians will put forth are all based on the unnatural practice of factory farming and are correct in that system but not for local, grass grazed, organic animals.

Humans have evolved with animals as companions and food. We have made an ancient deal with animals. We will use some of you for food in exchange for growing your population and taking you all over the world. Something the animals could never have done on their own.

The environmental cycle includes us in the food chain. Removing ourselves is unnatural and unbalanced. It's not sustainable. Clear cut fields of wheat are not going to solve the world's hunger or pollution problems or stop animals from suffering or dieing - in fact it makes it worse.

Local grown, sustainable, permaculture food production, using animals for food and labor, is the only healthy way to heal our earth and our bodies. That's my opinion for what it's worth. Good luck on your own personal food experiences! Peace :)

Information and Resources

Weston Price Foundation

Soy Alert

Eat Wild

Mercola on grass fed

The Earth rolls...

2010-05-12T13:10:00.000-07:00

"The earth rolls upon her wings, and the sun giveth his light by day, and the moon giveth her light by night, and the stars also give their light, as they roll upon their wings in their glory, in the midst of the power of God." D & C 88:45

Dance!!

2010-05-11T11:30:00.000-07:00

I just danced my heart out to "Cornflake Girl" by Tori Amos. I use to dance to the same song in my bedroom as a teenager. This is back when music was still on tape and I beat out the rhythms of my manic teenage soul into my carpet, channeling my former life as a Ballet dancer.

Now I dance out my mama heart, babe on my back, to tunes flowing over the internet - two moments in time

colliding with

One Woman.

I Have the Life Skills of a Pre-Industrilized Society 8 Year Old

2010-05-10T10:33:00.000-07:00

I had the benefit of going to really great schools with dedicated teachers and advance placement programs that held my interest. I was an excellent student and graduated with honors from an International Studies program. When I was in the system I felt so smart. I was learning foreign languages, could name the capitals, and could discuss important events in world history. After leaving high school however I found out I knew NOTHING about the real world.

I couldn't balance a check book, I couldn't figure out a credit card statement, couldn't garden, knit, or sew. I had no idea how to properly wash a car or the best way to keep my home tidy. I couldn't change a vacuum bag, type worth a darn, or build anything . I had no idea what even made a car run (other than gas) let alone how to service a car or even change a tire.

I didn't know how to change a diaper, how to burp a baby, how to naturally avoid pregnancy or how to naturally increase my fertility. I didn't know about breastfeeding, birthing, or how to take care of young children (despite my Girl Scout badge to the contrary).

I especially couldn't cook. I knew how to make crepes from a trip to France and I could get some pasta boiling and open a can of veggies but that was the extent of my skills. When I first lived on my own I had to buy pre-cooked chicken and canned potatoes because I had no idea how to cook either one.

At first something seemed missing in my life but I couldn't quite put my finger on it, so back to school I went. I earned a Bachelors degree in German and Anthropology. Score! Now I could translate German websites or set up a museum display but dang it if those skills STILL didn't improve my life (or even my job prospects).

In my mid 20s I set out to learn "real" stuff. (Being a school junkie at this point though I still also got a Master's degree, old habits die hard). It has taken me three years to get to the level of knitting I can do now (which is still fairly basic). I can barely find my way around a sewing machine and I still struggle with gardening (when my brilliant husband isn't helping me out with it).I am still learning how to cook on a camp fire, how to fish, how to crochet, how to care take live stock, and how to chop wood.

What can I do? I can cook really well these days and after many years of studying I understand how credit scores work and how to improve mine. I can make a pair of pants and I rock at all things baby, birth and child care related. I can find my way around herbal medicines for my family, make my own soaps and hand wash my clothes, among other things.

The most interesting thing - I don't remember a dang thing I learned in school that I didn't WANT to learn already. Seriously. Yet, it has taken me over half a decade to catch up on the basic living skills that I should have known by the age of 8.

In my opinion it's time for us to pull our families out of the institutions who have sought to replace the family (most notably public schools) and return to real life skills as the foundation for the education of future generations.

"Let us build a house where love is found in water, wine and wheat; A banquet hall on holy ground, where peace and justice meet."
From, All Are Welcome by Marty Haugen

All Are Welcome

2010-05-09T21:05:00.000-07:00

"Let us build a house where love can dwell and all can safely live." - Mary Haugen

Here's to all the moms building their houses up in faith and love! Happy Mother's Day!

Caterpillars!

2010-05-07T10:42:00.000-07:00

Its caterpillar season here in our neck of the woods. Papa saw one at work a few days ago as big as his little finger! Nature creates the best homeschooling science moments!

Meet Dragon and Fluffy

2010-05-06T11:00:00.000-07:00

Here is Dragon, Ronan's new friend

This is Fluffy, he is Nykki's buddy

At the Waldorf conference this year one of the things spoken of was children and taking care of mammals. The philosophy held that children thrive and can connect better to Mother Earth when they have other mammals to care for.

That really struck a chord with me. I wrote a few days ago about children having tasks and chores that really matter, that are important. Caring for another living creature helps build empathy, compassion, responsibility, focus, follow-through, and a connection to the creatures we share this world with.

Seth and I sought out advice for animals good with young children that would fit our lifestyle. Our home is a rental and we are not allowed to have any pets so the animal would have to be "hide-able" if the landlord ever stopped by yet interactive enough to make it worth it.

I had rabbits for years so I naturally was drawn to them but after receiving some advice from a preschool teacher who has had a lot of classroom pets she recommended guinea pigs. What sold me on the idea is that they are not escape artists (unlike bunnies). You don't really have to "cage" guineas. You can put them in a sandbox or kiddie pool and have lot's of lovable access. To me that made guineas feel more like a part of the family. Also, unlike bunnies, guineas tend to be more docile and can sit and cuddle in your lap easier.

As soon as Seth and decided on guineas I checked my in-box and had an email from an old belly dancing friend from years ago who had two baby boy guineas looking for a home! My mom's husband has dubbed them "the guinea pigs of fate!"

The guinea pigs of fate joined our family last night. They are just shy of four weeks old. They are cute as can be. Fluffy is very mellow and will let you cuddle him. Dragon lives up to his name and is a bit more hard pressed to sit quietly. The boys are so in love! They got up this morning and began reading Dragon and Fluffy "Curious George."

Buy-the-way, if the kids had listened to me the guineas would be named Trouble and Tribble!

Wednesday Wisdom and Let's Go Fly a Kite...

2010-05-05T14:01:00.000-07:00

...up to the highest height!

"And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind." Ps. 18: 10

Top 6 Environmental Reasons to Homeschool

2010-05-04T10:36:00.000-07:00

Ronan paints with water colors made from natural dish soap on recycled paper.

Thinking about homeschooling? Need motivation for your current practice? Here's a side of homeschooling you may not have thought about before; it's a great choice for the environment!

Top 6 Environmental Reasons to Homeschool

1. Obviously you're not driving to and from a school building everyday! Less oil consumption, less pollution!

You can better plan the outings you do take during the week, thus saving even more fuel with condensed errands.

2. You place less of a demand on resources such as the need for a school building, it's electricity, it's flushing toilets, etc.

You are doubling the value of your home by using IT as your school instead of placing a demand on the system to create and use more stuff!

3. Much less paper is being used. In schools nearly every lesson has mass consumption consequences! The books, the handouts, the work sheets the tests. Everything must be presented, worked out and filed away on paper.

In your homeschool the tree IS the lesson, the hand out and even the "work."

4. Your child consumes their meals at home.

Think of all the packaging and waste that goes into eating within the school system. First there is the trucking in of the boxed food, then the boxes, the energy consumption to heat it, and the disposable plates, silverware and cups. A child at home can eat local food from a reusable plate!

5. No back-to-school buying frenzy! You use only what you need in homeschool, no more!

6. Without worrying about 30 kids, a homeschooling mom can plan activities and lessons with the environment in mind instead of government imposed standards and budget concerns in mind.

You can choose natural paints and environmentally friendly products and activities.

Homeschooling - do it for you, your kids and Mama Earth!

Vitamin D

2010-05-03T09:55:00.000-07:00

Avington and Mommy enjoying the sun on our deck

The sun has shifted and we are all making vitamin D from its wonderful glow again. As the sun climbs higher in the sky each day, as he lingers longer and longer how are you getting out and about being sure to take healthy advantage of this Divine light?

Do you have an outdoor space set aside? Do your children have time to play in the sunshine everyday?

Here are some tips for getting out more:

1. Eat as many meals outside as possible. You don’t have to have fancy lawn chairs or tables either, a picnic blanket will do just fine. The kids will have so much fun and it really cuts down on your clean up (no table to wipe down, no placemats to clean).

2. Read books to your children or yourself outside.

3. Take your laptop outside when you work.

4. Make a commitment to go camping once a week or once a month at a nearby campground, river, lake, etc.

5. You would be amazed at how much outdoor fun kids can have with the simplest things. Hang a rope from a tree and tie a few knots in the end. Nail a few boards to the base of a tree for easier climbing, set up a tent or build a simple stick-and-sheet tipi.

Here are some tips for staying safe:

1. Be aware of your body. You want to soak up D but you don’t want to burn. Cover burn prone spots like your shoulders and face with a sun hat.

2. If you choose to use sunscreen really research what you’re using, be sure it is PABA and fragrance free

3. If you choose to use sunscreen don’t put it on right away. Sit in the sun for 15 minutes to one hour depending on the pigment of your skin, then put on your sun screen.

4. Be aware of the space you’re in. Check for garbage, especially sharp metal, and be aware of neighborhood dogs roaming about, especially if you have little ones.

Enjoy the earth in its full glory this spring and summer. Walk upon Her lightly and with grace and may the sweet breath of summer speak to your soul.

Beltane

2010-05-02T10:58:00.001-07:00

Tree climbing season has officially begun!

Wild flower boy

Me, myself and I

Nana and Avington

Ronan climbs a tree

My mom came up for a visit to meet her newest grandbaby this weekend! We traveled down to Sebastapol, CA for the North Bay Area Reclaiming's Beltane ritual! Afterward we held space for the Mormon May Day West Coast meeting but apparently there are not very many May Day Mormons on the West coast :)

Beltane Blessings!!!

Children and Chores

2010-04-30T10:58:00.000-07:00

Here, Nykki helps Aunt Gina and Papa hunt for mushrooms that will later be eaten.

In an Amish household you will find very young children doing chores. From two years old and on the children of a family are expected to take part in the tasks needed to sustain that family and their community.

This gives young children a sense of rhythm and purpose as well as a feeling of worthiness -of being needed. The tasks are usually set a bar above what the children can do so that they must struggle a bit. This is how they learn patience and to follow through with tasks even when hard. They literally earn the food put on their table and that feels good.

In our modern lifestyle there are not always tasks we can give children that are as meaningful as the tasks Amish children might have. Vacuuming the floor or even cleaning their room seems to have little real-world application to them. It has little to do with survival and with community.

In our home the children start chores as soon as they are able. They have basic chores like keeping their room tidy and helping to clean the bedroom each morning. I link them to "survival" chores as often as possible. Things like collecting wood, leaving food for the birds, helping prepare meals, working in the garden, helping with the laundry, etc.

These chores they do not get paid for. They are expected to do them because they are part of a thriving, family community. However I also give them pennies, dimes and nickles for the tasks that are not as "real world." This gives them a sense of earning money for themselves - the other way people sustain themselves. It also helps them learn about money, what it is and how to manage it and especially how to count it.

One important task we do not have in our home is taking care of pets. We still rent our home and have a strict "no pets" policy. However the landlord is not often around and I find myself thinking of the possibility of a bird or rabbit. If you live in a space where you are able to have pets, the care taking and bounding process is a natural part of childhood development.

Be mindful of the chores and tasks you give your children. Be sure to give them something to do and treat it with respect and watch the flourish!

Mothering and the Fruit of the Spirit

2010-04-29T07:52:00.000-07:00

Paul teaches us that human existence is finite, limited by the "wisdom of the world." Living in this view, believing this world is all there is leads to; strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, etc.

I believe that our mothering can suffer from this "wisdom of the world" as well. When we hurry, rush, push and raise our voices with our children we are more often than not putting the "wisdom of the world" ahead of our family who should be centered, according to Paul, in Christ (read: your faith path; Krishna, Buddha, Diana, Inanna, Ishtar, etc.)

Yesterday I was helping the boys clean their room. Being six and three it does no one any good to tell them to clean in themselves. They are still in the "modeling" phase according to Steiner. They need me to roll model how to clean a room and if I do so with a light heart and joy on my lips they will happily follow suit.

Has this ever happened to you? I started out with a light heart and with joy but the "wisdom of the world" began to sneak in. I found myself wanting the room to get clean NOW. I couldn't relax because I kept thinking of all the other things I "needed" to do that day to live up to some internal and external expectations - some worldly wisdoms.

I found myself yelling, "Just clean it up!" Oh, how awful that feels when we let our mouth get ahead of our spirit. What should have been a wonderful Mary Poppins-esque experience fell apart in my own mind and heart.

Had I kept my mothering realm fixed on the lessons of Paul I would have remembered that human existence is spirited, open to a new life in Christ. That nothing is ever lost to God(dess) and that the fruit of the Spirit of life (and the spirit of mothering) is; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness and self control.

The sun has risen on this beautiful spring day. My babes are sleeping in their bed, still so innocent that they will wake and throw their arms around me this morning forgetting and completely forgiving my outburst yesterday. And through the grace of our Heavenly Mother, who is the ultimate mothering role model, I get to try again today to be the mother of the fruit of Spirit.

Wednesday Wisdom and a Full Moon

2010-04-28T14:19:00.001-07:00

"He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the Earth.In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth." Psalms 72, 6-7

Waldorf Conference Review

2010-04-26T13:22:00.000-07:00

Waldorf School.

Mothering and Spirituality were the themes this weekend at the Sacramento Waldorf School's annual conference. I just had to go! On Saturday we kicked things off with a keynote speaker who should be teaching at the Women's Spiritualit Center at ITP, one Ms. Nancy Jewel Poer. She spoke on "Honoring Mother Spirit and Our Amazing Spiritual Feminine Gifts." She really set the tone for feminine wisdom with a brilliant talk and beautiful slide show.

I then moved into my class; "Life as the Curriculum for Young Children by Cynthia Aldinger. The afternoon keynote was given by the flowing, wise Regina Sara Ryan on the topic of "Becoming Mother - Spirituality, Femininity and Earth Transformation." Afterward I moved on to my Kitchen Yoga class with Sandra Russi and got the boost of inspiration in practice I was looking for.

Comfty, cozy hotel babe.

On Sunday we hit the ground running with the very academic keynote speech of "Mother-Lines of the Spirit" given by Carol Lee Flinders. I can;t say that I agree with her views on Buddhism but otherwise I liked the speech. My first session that day was "Nurturing Our Children With Mother Nature" by the crone Nancy Jewel Poer ( I cannot get enough of this fabulous woman)!

The afternoon keynote was given by the very proud new grandmother and sage-ess Cynthia Aldinger on the topic of "How Are the Children? How Are We?" Despite my mind being at max, overload I was still able to cram some more in. My last class was the lighter "Eurythmy: Opening Your Heart and Arms to Give and to Receive." by Cynthia Hoven.

Tree as Mother.

Sheesh! What a line up! What topics! My mind was swimming after the first keynote! I wish I could give proper credit to everyone's intellectual property but even with my notes I don't quite remember who said what and what things sprung from my own inspiration but I will share what I can with you here today. Although some of these thoughts are original or ideas I had building on what the Goddesses said, 90% of the credit for the following wisdom should be given to Nancy, Regina, Cynthia, Carol, Sandra, and Regina not to mention the wonderful women who taught my two friends I went with, who's wisdom was then passed on to me through them!

Baby and Mommy are One.

We live in an interesting time on earth and there can be no doubt that we all chose this time wisely and with purpose. As we walk with our fellows we can freely take in the cross-pollination of information that our "buffet" has to offer. Cleaning and preparing our homes for our families is Alchemy...Magick. We transform matter as we make dirty dishes clean, muddy bodies sparkle, messy rooms shine.

For children the magick of life is IN the physical since they are already so close to pure Spirit. The two most magickal things we do with our bodies each day is eat and sleep. When deciding our families rhythms we should begin with our eating and sleeping routines and rituals as a foundation for our day. Being careful to only include other things as we reasonably can, being mindful not to burn out from over abundance of even nourishing activities.

Relax and allow the children in your life to help you in the daily chores. Give them strong chores and tasks to do on their own as well. Be sure that they feel needed and are contributing to the home in a direct and productive manner. Allow all the time in the world to complete long tasks, don't avoid them. If it takes six months to knit a scarf because you can only work on it once per week, do it. This way children learn the importance of productive follow through.

Spring Bloomin'.

Get together with other moms and families when you can. Clean your homes together, cook meals together. Organize neighborhood potlucks or sing-a-longs on your lawn or in your back yard. Pass magick to your children. Look for fairy nests, make things from grass, leaves and flowers, splash in water with prayerful present-mindedness. Remember that discipline is rarely an issue in nature!

Mother nature is your child's birth right! It is better to have a broken bone than a broken spirit. Look toward the air, the earth, the water and the warm hearth for creative play and balance. Allow family pets and nature to be your family therapists.

Involve your whole family when you can. National Geographic studies have shown that children who live in multi-generational house holds are healthier! Children are masters at the art of living, their work is play, their play is work. Allow them the space to deeply penetrate the mysteries of our existence.

Incorporate the Divine Feminine as you see Her into your family life. Look for our Divine Mother in everyone you meet (She's always there somewhere!) Do less and be more.

One of the sessions I did not attend but heard a lot about was "Mothering Our Lively Sons" by Janet Allison. I feel unable to relay the information I gleaned second-hand properly so I encourage you to look her up because what was passed on to me was transforming!

Conference Babe.

Blessings!

Off to the Waldorfy Goodness!!

2010-04-23T11:07:00.000-07:00

I'm off this weekend for the "Waldorf in the Home Conference!" I'm really excited! I'm bringing my new lap top (birthday present from my wonderful hubby) and I'm traveling and staying with two good friends! I'm taking classes on kitchen yoga and Eurythmy among other fun home schooling topics! I'm using my lap top to take notes (while balancing my babe on my knee). I will share when I get back!

See you Monday!!

Healthy Recipes Using Your WIC Authorized Foods

2010-04-22T10:41:00.000-07:00

Compiled and created by Ayla Serenemoon

Homemade Yogurt

WIC Items: 1 qt. Whole or 2% Milk

Non WIC Items: ½ cup High Quality Natural Yogurt (I recommend Strauss Organic)

Tools: Shallow, oven safe, glass container such as a casserole dish, tin foil, food thermometer

Heat your milk to 180 degrees then cool it to 110 degrees. Stir in ½ cup yogurt, place in a shallow baking dish and cover with tin foil. Place the dish in a warm, not hot, place over night. Transfer to the fridge in the morning to chill completely. Drain the whey (the liquid part which will easily separate) and keep it in a jar for recipes which call for whey (such as sauerkraut, see below).

Sauerkraut

WIC Items: 1 head cabbage (shredded or chopped fine) 1 bunch of green onions (chopped). Both of these can be purchased with your fruits and vegetables voucher and remember you can get organic, 2 Tablespoons of whey (from your yogurt, if not available use an extra teaspoon of salt)

Non WIC Items: 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons soy sauce

Tools: Knife, tea and table spoons, shredder (optional), large container like a half gallon jar, a meat hammer of something to pound with. Be sure tools are very clean.

Mix all ingredients well and pack firmly into your container, pounding the cabbage down until juice comes to the top and covers the cabbage. Be sure to allow at least one inch of space from the juice to the top of the jar. Cover the jar tightly and let it sit for three days in a draft free place. Transfer to the fridge and enjoy. Browning is natural but if you have any orange coloring something went wrong, please discard.

Ginger Carrots

WIC Items: 4 1/2 cups of grated carrots purchased with your vegetables voucher, remember you can get organic, 4 tablespoons of whey from yogurt (if not available use 1 extra teaspoon of salt)

Non WIC Items: 1 tablespoon salt and 1 tablespoon ginger (fresh grated is best but dry will work too)

Tools: Same as the sauerkraut recipe
Follow the same instructions as the sauerkraut recipe

Yummy Beans

WIC Items: 2 ½ cups of beans, 2 tablespoons of whey (for black beans only)

Non WIC: Warm Water, 4 cloves of mashed garlic, sea salt, pepper, pinch of sage (optional)

Tools: Large jar, lid, pot, oven, measuring cup and tablespoon

Place all the ingredients in a jar and cover. Let stand in a draft free place for 12-24 hours. Drain the beans and boil them in a pot for 4 hours.

Peanut Butter Crumb Donuts Holes

WIC Items: ½ cup finely shredded squash purchased with your vegetables voucher, remember you can get organic, 1 cup peanut butter

Non WIC Items: 1 cup soft dates or raisins, ½ cup shredded coconut, dash of olive oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 teaspoons nutmeg

Tools: Food processor or strong blender, bowl, tea and table spoon

Blend the peanut butter with dates or raisins slowly. Add olive oil, salt and vanilla – blend. In a bowl hand mix-in the squash, coconut and nutmeg. Roll into balls and coat with extra coconut.

Delicious Fruit Cake

WIC Items: 3 eggs, 1 ¼ cup fresh fruit, sliced, purchased with your fruit and veggies voucher, remember you can get organic, 1 cup oat flour* (you can also use all purpose flour or even millet flour).

*Make oat flour by blending old fashion oatmeal purchased with your whole grain voucher, in a food processor or blender.

Non WIC Items: ½ cup soft butter, ½ cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon lemon zest (grated lemon skin), ½ teaspoon baking powder

Tools: Large bowl, whisk, spoon, blender or food processor (if using oatmeal flour), oven

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour a baking pan. Separate eggs and beat egg whites until peaks form. In a large bowl cream the butter with the sugar. Beat in the egg yolks and lemon zest. Stir together the flour and baking powder and beat until creamy. Gently fold in the egg whites. Spread the batter evenly in the pan and arrange the sliced fruit, skin side down, on top of the batter. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes or until an inserted tooth pick comes out clean.

Rice Flour Pancakes

WIC Items: 1 large egg, ½ cup yogurt (made from your milk, see first page), ½ cup milk

Non WIC Items: 2/3 cup brown rice flour, 1/3 cup cornstarch, 1 teaspoon honey, 1 teaspoon baking powder, pinch of salt, 2 tablespoons melted butter.

Tools: Skillet, stove top, bowl, spoon, teaspoon, measuring cup

Sift the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Mix egg with butter and yogurt; stir in milk. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just blended. Fry as you would regular pancakes on greased skillet for about 2 minutes each side or until golden brown.

Lentils

WIC Items: 2 ½ cups lentils purchased with you dry beans voucher, 2 tablespoons whey from making yogurt or you can use lemon juice

Non WIC Items: Warm water, 3 cups of chicken or veggie stock or 1 ½ cups tomato sauce mixed with 1 ½ cups water, 2 cloves of mashed garlic

Tools: Large bowl, spoon, pot, stove top

Combine all ingredients with warm water in a bowl. Let it sit over night in a draft free place. Place ingredients in a large pot on the stove. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for one hour. Add more water if necessary.

Rice Flour Peanut Butter Cookies

WIC Items: 16 oz. natural peanut butter (we like to use Adams)

Non WIC Items: ½ cup plus 3 tablespoons maple syrup, honey or sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla, ¾ cup rice flour, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, ½ cup peanuts (or you can simply get the “crunchy” peanut butter. Another option is the use other kinds of chopped nuts like pecans, walnuts or almonds.

Tools: Bowl, spoon, fork, baking sheet, oven

Preheat your oven to 35o degrees. Combine peanut butter, maple syrup (or sugar or honey), and vanilla in a bowl until smooth. Add rice flour and salt and mix well. Fold in nuts or peanuts, spoon onto baking sheet and flatten with a fork. Cook for 11-12 minutes.

Egg and Cheese “Pie”

WIC Items: 5 eggs, ½ cup shredded cheese, ¼ cup milk, ¾ cup cooked veggies purchased with your vegetables voucher, remember you can get organic

Non WIC Items: 2 cups flour, ¾ cup cubed, cold butter, 1 teaspoon salt, 3-6 tablespoons ice water, pinch of sage

Tools: Pie pan or dish, oven, bowl, fork, spoon, tea and tablespoon, measuring cup

Making the crust.
In a food processor or large bowl sift the flour and salt. Pulse or cut in with a fork the butter one cube at a time until it resembles coarse meal. Add cold water a little at a time until the mixture holds together. Roll out in a circle and place in a pie dish.

Making the filling.
In a large bowl combine eggs, milk, cheese, veggies and pinch of sage and mix well. Pour into pie crust.
Place in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30-45 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

Veggie Omelets

WIC Items: 5 eggs, ½ cup shredded cheese, ¼ cup milk, ¾ cup cooked veggies purchased with your vegetables voucher, remember you can get organic

Non WIC Items: a pinch of sage (optional)

Tools: Large bowl, skillet, stove top, measuring cup

In a large bowl combine eggs, milk, cheese, veggies and pinch of sage and mix well. Pour onto buttered skillet and cook on medium about 3-5 minutes each side until you have an “egg pancake” like shape.

Egg Salad Lettuce Wrap

WIC Items: 5 hard boiled eggs, 3 large Romain lettuce leaves purchased with your vegetables voucher, remember you can get organic

Non WIC Items: ½ cup Mayonaise or veganaise

Tools: Large bowl, spoon, measuring cup

In a large bowl mash together the hard boiled eggs and mayonnaise. Using lettuce leaf like a tortilla or taco shell place egg mix inside each leaf and enjoy!

Lettuce Wrap Sandwiches

WIC Items: Grated carrot, chopped red bell pepper, Romain lettuce leaves purchased with your vegetables voucher, remember you can get organic, hard boiled eggs (chopped), shredded cheese, canned salmon (optional)

Non WIC Items: Mayonaise, salad dressing or oil and vinegar mix

Tools: Veggie Grater

Using the lettuce leaves like taco shells pile the veggies, cheese, chopped eggs and salmon into the center of the leaf, top with mayonnaise or dressing, eat like a taco.

Pan Fried Tofu Cakes

WIC Items: One package of firm or extra firm tofu sliced about ½ inch thick

Non WIC Items: 4 tablespoons fish sauce, 4 tablespoons melted butter, salt and pepper to taste

Tools: Bowl, skillet, stove top, tablespoon

Combine fish sauce, melted butter, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well. Dip each tofu slice into mixture and fry on medium heat for about 5 minutes each side until golden brown.

Eggless Egg Salad

WIC Items: One package of firm tofu

Non WIC Items: ½ cup Mayonaise or veganaise, ¼ cup nutritional yeast, salt to taste

Tools: Bowl, spoon, measuring cup, fork

In a bowl combine all ingredients and mash with a fork. Use just as you would regular egg salad

Chocolate Cream Tofu Pie

WIC Items: One package firm, silken tofu

Non WIC Items: ½ cup melted chocolate chips, pie crust (pre-bought or you can make the same one in the Egg and Cheese Pie recipe, bake it by alone for about 15 minutes)

Tools: Pan to melt chocolate chips, spoon, stove top, blender or food processor, pie pan or dish.

Mix the silken tofu and melted chocolate until smooth. Pour into pie crust and chill in fridge for several hours until firm.

Basic Stir-Fry

WIC Items: Diced veggies of your choice (we like yams, red peppers, and broccoli), 2 cups or cooked brown rice (also see options at the bottom of the recipe)

Non WIC Items: 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, pepper to taste, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, a pinch of sage, 1 tablespoon of honey, 3 table spoons of melted butter

Tools: Skillet with lid, stove top, knife for chopping veggies, large spoon for stirring

Heat skillet on medium-high. In a bowl mix all non WIC Items, add to skillet before skillet has heated all the way. Add veggies one at a time starting with the firmer veggies (carrots or yams for example), adding the remaining veggies every five minutes or so until soft veggies such as broccoli heads and red peppers are added last. Keep lid on skillet while cooking. Cook until veggies reach desire tenderness stirring occasionally. Serve with brown rice.

Optional: Add tuna fish, cooked beans or pan fried tofu strips

“Cookie” Cereal

We call this “Cookie” Cereal because that’s what I called it when I first served it to my children in an attempt to get them to try it. It worked and the loved it!

WIC Items: 2 cups old fashion oats (uncooked), 1 cup cereal of choice like Cheerios (optional), 1 cup fresh fruit or raisins (depending if you are making it the same day you will eat it or if it needs to store longer), ½ cup peanut butter

Non WIC Items: ¾ cup shredded coconut, ¼ cup honey, pinch of salt

Tools: Mixing bowl, spoon, measuring cup

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Stir until well coated being sure to break up the peanut butter and honey clumps so that they are evenly spaced throughout. Serve as you would traditional cereal. Store leftovers in an air tight container (if you are not using fresh fruit)

Freezer Cookies

WIC Items: 1 cup old fashion oats, 1 cup peanut butter

Non WIC Items: ½ cup shredded coconut, ½ cup chocolate chips (melted), pinch of salt

Tools: Mixing bowl, baking sheet, spoon, measuring cup

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix well. Spoon out in clumps onto a baking sheet, freeze until hard, enjoy. Optional you can add crisp rice cereal.

Sprouted Lentils

WIC Items: 1 cup dry lentils

Non WIC Items: Water

Tools: Old deli tray with holes punched in the bottom, towel

Soak lentils in water over night. Drain lentils and place in deli tray, sprinkle with water twice daily until shoots sprout. Use sprouts in sandwiches, salads and to top things like omelets, stir-fry and Egg and Cheese Pie.

Salmon Salad

WIC Items: 1 can of salmon, 5 hard boiled eggs chopped, 1 bunch of celery chopped, 1 cup grated carrots, ½ cup chopped apples

Non WIC Items: ½ cup mayonnaise or veganaise

Tools: Knife for chopping, can opener, large bowl, measuring cup, spoon, grater

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, mix well. Enjoy alone or topped on toast, crackers, scrambled eggs, or lettuce

Quick and Easy “Ice Cream”

WIC Items: One bag frozen berries purchased with your fruits and veggies voucher, remember you can get organic

Non WIC Items: One pint heavy whipping cream, 1 tablespoon honey

Tools: Large bowl, mixer or whisk, blender or food processor (optional)

Combine whipping cream and honey in a large bowl and whisk until stiff. Place frozen berries in a serving bowl and top with whipped cream. Another option is to place whipped cream in a blender or food processor with berries and pulse until mixed with some chunks remaining.

Yam Fries

WIC Items: 3 large yams purchased with your fruits and veggies voucher, remember you can get organic

Non WIC Items: 4 tablespoons melted butter, salt and pepper to taste

Tools: Knife, chopping board, baking sheet, oven, bowl

Slice yams into thin wedges, in a bowl coat them with melted butter, salt and pepper. Lay slices on a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for about 12-15 minutes until tender and crispy.

Yam Hash Browns

WIC Items: 4 large yams, grated

Non WIC Items: 5 tablespoons melted butter or oil, salt and pepper to taste

Tools: Grater, skillet, stove top

Place skillet on stove top on medium heat. Add oil and grated yams. Place lid on skillet. Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes until golden brown on bottom. Flip and cook for 10 minutes on other side, serve.

Snacking:
Cheese Sticks
Hard Boiled Eggs
Celery topped with peanut butter, add raisins and you’ve got “Ants on a Log”

Other Ideas:
Don’t know what to do with all the milk? Try getting powdered milk and start a food storage in your home for emergencies and natural disasters.
Add frozen fruit to hot cereal for a morning treat!
Cheerios make a great car snack and vacuum up easily with little mess.
Substitute frozen concentrated apple or white grape juice for sugar in your favorite cookie or cake recipe.

Wednesday Wisdom

2010-04-21T10:58:00.000-07:00

"You have turned my walling into dancing; you have put off my sack cloth and clothed me with joy. Therefore my heart sings to you without ceasing; O Lord my God, I will give you thanks for ever." Psalm 30: 12-13

Everyone Use To Be a Baby

2010-04-20T10:55:00.000-07:00

It's mind blowing to think your parents were once children, even babies. The picture here shows my dad (far right, front row) being held by my Granny. He's about the same age as my little Avi is now in this picture and he's also my Granny's third babe so this picture really hits me square in the heart.

Everyone loves a baby but once that baby grows up, new rules are placed upon us. Some make sense, I would argue that some may not. Here's a thought for the day, remember that everyone you meet and see today USE to a baby. They are someones precious baby boy, brother, sister or daughter. Can we still see their preciousness?

Returning to Motherhood, One Solution for the Economic Crisis.

2010-04-19T10:35:00.000-07:00

I should preface this article with a few statements of fact. I am a supporter, fighter and rabble-rouser on behalf of real, full equality and partnership between men and women which is in line with their needs, desires and family roles. I’ve marched in demonstrations, my kids strapped to my back, to advance many progressive causes and I do my best to live a lifestyle consistent with my values.

I believe each woman makes the best choice she can for her family and I am NOT saying there is anything wrong with *some* mothers working or *some* mothers honestly having to work. Please see this essay as a challenge to the current, post-second wave feminism, corporate dominated, status quo. I am not trying to further the “Mommy wars,” I am simply providing one opinion, one way to look at the family within our society.

If you are a working mother I do not judge you, I do not pity you, and I do not blame you. When I was younger I was taught that women must work outside the home to be happy and fulfilled. I’ve learned that this is not the case and that being a stay-at-home mother can and is a wonderful experience. I’m glad that years ago I read information which challenged what I was taught and now I wish to chime in too, for the next generation of Mommies.

Personally my deepest calling is motherhood. Being a mother is a true gift and far too often it is a gift that our money-driven society has talked women out of enjoying. A generation ago women pushed for the right to be in the workplace and now, in my generation, we find that right has turned into an expectation from without and within.

The bond between a mother and child is a deep emotional, biological and spiritual force. To rob both the mother and the children of their natural state of domestic harmony and mutual growth is a crime visited upon our nation by the corporate powers-that-be. After the women’s movement of the 1960’s and 70’s, corporations, the real rulers of our nation, found that having women in the workplace was great. They could pay them less for the same job a man did and the extra income meant families could buy more “stuff” and a multi-billion dollar daycare industry sprang up.

Let’s just consider what would happen if all partnered, heterosexual, mothers in our country with children less than 16 years old worked no more than 12 hours per week. (I say heterosexual because out of a lesbian couple one of the mothers must work to support the family.)

The first, most obvious change would be in the job market. Millions of jobs would be freed up over night. The people staffing the jobs would need to replace the mothers with men, single women, childless women or mothers of adult children. I believe that very well may mean everyone who needs a job could have one.

But don’t mothers need their jobs? That’s a quick defense. This isn’t the 1950’s anymore, things have changed. Yes, things have and many families could not fathom living on only one income. Here’s the second huge bonus of mothers returning home – simplification.

One of the reasons one income worked in the 1950’s was because people had less. Amazing concept. They also carried little to no debt and housing costs were lower. Many families who bought homes during the modern housing bubble are faced with huge monthly payments.

There are many solutions to the housing issue. Sharing homes, selling off expansive luxury items such as RVs and boats and doing without that cruise this year may help many put some money toward reducing their monthly payments. Best of all however is the fact that people could down size their homes.

We have become accustom to these modern grandiose living spaces of one, two or three thousand feet. The average family home a generation ago was more around 8-900 feet and those families survived. Sure there may have been a wait to get into the bathroom sometimes. Often siblings shared rooms, guests slept on the couch, and the TVs were *much* smaller.

This brings me to my next point. Living off one income is easier if you do away with the huge plasma TV (and the credit card bill that went with it), the cable or satellite TV, the fancy internet, the game systems, the constant movie rentals, etc. Imagine if instead of relying on push button entertainment the mother staying at home dreamed up creative ways to spend quality family time where the children interacted with their parents. Card games, board games, charades, block parties, and reading would all find new fans.

Cutting back on the TV should lead to cutting back on many appliances around the house. Do we really need all those fancy mechanical gadgets? In the 70’s the average family had two things in their home which remained plugged in at all times. Now we have an average of 27 things ALWAYS plugged in! Think about the energy savings once all those things are unplugged!

The so-called “need” for electronic entertainment and gadgets is purely physiological. As a human race we have gone so many years without them it honestly won’t kill us to give them up, I promise, and it won’t kill the kids either no matter how much they feel like it will. Children are marvelous at adjusting, eventually.

So if mom is staying home guess what other benefits we have - healthier, cheaper food! You would be amazed at the enormous savings there are to be had when Mom spends a little extra time cooking up homemade dishes from lentils, polenta, pasta, beans, homemade breads, cakes and rolls, quinoa, rice, home grown herbs, berries and veggies – and just think of the health benefits!

These foods would contain no dyes, no artificial sweeteners, no preservatives, no artificial flavors, etc. The mind boggles at the thought of all the better behaved children we will have in our communities once they ditch the Ritalin in favor of healthy food and more attention.

Cutting back our family spending to meet the income of one bread winner is a great boost the environment too. Less prepackaged food, recycled clothing form the thrift shop instead of always purchasing brand new and brand name, and far less junk we buy on impulse just to make ourselves feel better.

So the next question might be; wont cutting back our spending mean that less money is going into the economy and we’ll just lose the jobs we created by mothers leaving the work force? Not by a long shot. It will trim the fat for sure. People who make a living exploiting over worked, over burdened families with cheap goods will have to find a new line of work but that doesn’t reflect most jobs in America. Buying less “stuff” will lead to fewer jobs in China for sure, but not here.

What will change is this; when you purchase something you buy smaller and outright. You know you can’t afford a Mercedes bill every month so you save up for six months to buy the older model Chevy instead. You realize that if a television set is something you are going to spring for you save up and purchase a modest priced one because you know you can’t afford a ballooning credit card payment.

What we will lose is the billions of dollars sucked out of us at every opportunity by the elite and their corporations. Their ungodly interest charges and their mental manipulation of the masses will cease. If Mom is home she is able to be more active in her children’s lives. The TV is on less or not at all. Billions of dollars in brain warping advertising is missed, money saved and evil businesses tank while local business and community economies thrive.

Families take a deep breath, they slow down, they do less, they own less and they find out that they are happier for it. The earth has less junk piling up at its doorstep, real jobs take strong root in our local economies, and we all wake up from this corporate orchestrated nightmare we’ve been living in for thirty years.

It all starts with moms waking up and saying, “I’m not dropping my kids at daycare today. I’m not slaving away for less money so that I can miss the best years of my family’s life together. I am woman, hear me roar! I won’t take this elitist bull anymore! I’m staying home with my kids. I’m cooking them good meals, helping them to learn and to grow. My family’s mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health will no longer be compromised by this anti-women, anti-motherhood, pro-greed agenda we’ve been sold! Kids get your coats; we’re going to the park!”

While down the street that mother’s job goes to a man with a family who was just laid off from his job and a bit of harmony begins to re-weave itself into our lives as humans.

Sunday Relection...

2010-04-18T18:12:00.000-07:00

...learning chess

"From Each According to Their Ability...

2010-04-17T10:22:00.000-07:00

...to each according to their need." This phrase is a slogan popularized by Karl Marx in his 1875 "Critique of the Gotha Program." It basically summarizes a communist system of government.

Communism like any form of government has it's pluses and minuses, it's benefits and it's extremes. Anyone who reads my blog often knows I'm not a communist or a Marxist, in fact I don't really believe in government at all simply because I don't think millions of people can be ruled or dealt with fairly from one centralized "head."

So why am I talking about Marxist slogans? Because I think that this slogan, when applied to the family and our immediate community, works wonders.

From each according to their ability...

Within the family each member gives what they are able. Papa works full time, Mama runs the home, the children have chores and schooling, the baby eats, sleeps and gives incredible smiles.

...to each according to their need.

Everyone gets what they need. Papa gets the biggest serving at dinner, the oldest child gets a bike first, etc. Papa might need nicer clothes for work, the baby gets hand-me-downs.

In our family we have chores for everyone and I don't play the "I didn't make the mess" game with my kids. We all live together, we all clean together - the end. We also share ALL the toys. No one has "special" things that they don't have to share. We all take turns.

The interesting thing is, that I don't think my family is that unique. I think most families live this "Marxist" principle in their homes. No one is letting grandma starve in the "free market" of their home simply because she can longer cook for herself. No one is letting the baby wear stained clothes because he can't do his own laundry.

On the flip side I don't think it's healthy to let kids, or anyone able-bodied, to coast through life in a family with no responsibilities. I know parenting philosophies which allow a very wide "development" space for children. The child does nothing until he is "ready." However all I have seen that lead to is a ten year old throwing a fit when he's asked to pick up his socks. He should have been picking them up since he was two.

For my Christian, Mormon and Christo-Pagan readers I challenge us to take it one step further. In the Bible we are all called to be a family in Christ.

1 Cor. 12:12,27; Rom. 12:5; Col. 3:15; Eph. 4:4 All speak to the fact that we are the members of the one body of Christ, supernaturally linked together.

Therefore, does it not make since that at the very least our local spiritual community should function as our family community does because they are also our family? And why would we stop there?

Culturing Malt O Meal

2010-04-16T10:31:00.000-07:00

We follow a Nourishing Traditions diet. To this end I culture, sprout and ferment many of our foods. I recently gave culturing Malt O Meal a whirl since we get it free from WIC. I'm assuming this can be done with any mush cereal like Cream of Wheat or Bear Mush.

Take one cup Malt O Meal, place it in a covered bowl with two cups water and two table spoons high quality yogurt, mixed well. Cover and place in a warm (not cold) location for about 24 hours.

When you're ready to cook it place the pot on the burner on medium heat. Whisk Malt O Meal every minute or so until it get's hot then stir constantly, adding more water if needed until it is completely cooked.

To increase health benefits we mix it with raw milk and a big dab of organic butter and a spoonful of raw honey. Yum!

New Hair Cuts

2010-04-15T12:49:00.000-07:00

It started yesterday at breakfast. Ronan wanted a hair cut NOW. The motivation? He didn't want to brush it when he was done with his breakfast. I tried to put him off but the kid makes an art form out of nagging.

After a half hour, I caved. Monkey see, monkey do, brother wanted a hair cut too. They actually turned out ADORABLE! Here the kids are getting ready to take handfuls of hair outside for the birds to build their nests with.

Wednesday Wisdom

2010-04-14T14:30:00.000-07:00

"Praise him with timbrel and dance; praise him with strings and pipe." Psalm 150:4

Night Watches Quilt

2010-04-13T14:10:00.000-07:00

This is our progress on our Night Watches Quilt. I'm doing a simple "patch" quilt to make it easier for Nyk to help with the sewing. It's the first step in a renovation of our family bedroom.

The name "Night Watches Quilt" comes from Psalm 63:1, 6-8; "O God(dess), you are my God(dess); eagerly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my flesh faints for you... I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the night watches. For you have been my helper, and under the shadow of your wings I will rejoice. My soul clings to you; your right hand holds me fast."

While sewing this quilt I picture myself sitting in an Amish quilting bee, sewing and talking with sisters. It speaks to a deep, primal need within my soul for sisterhood and sewing.

Menu Plan Monday

2010-04-12T10:36:00.000-07:00

My hearty chicken soup.

Today's Menu Plan Monday will be a bit simpler then in past weeks due to the fact that we hit our download limit this morning (too many Daily Shows on Hulu last night *sigh*) So I cannot open tabs until this time tomorrow and without the ability to open tabs I cannot link to recipes. So, that having been said here's my best job at dial-up speed, on satellite, in the rain. :)

Dinners

Monday- Cowboys Stew

Place two cans of beans, one can of peas, on can of corn and one can of chopped tomatoes along with any meat such as ground beef or sausage into a big pot (juices included) and cook on medium, stirring occasionally until meat is cooked.

Tuesday- Rice Noodles, pasta sauce and salad

Wednesday- Grilled cheese on sour dough and baby carrots

Thursday- Baked Potatoes with steamed broccoli, shredded cheese, bacon bits(real), and sour cream

Friday- Homemade Pizza

Saturday (Sabbat Dinner)- Potatoes Anna and steamed broccoli and carrots

Potatoes Anna is made by thinly slicing about 6-7 potatoes and layering them in a dish with butter and salt between each layer. Bake about an hour. Simple and it's my hubby's favorite.

Sunday- Left Over Buffet

Sunday Reflection...

2010-04-10T17:09:00.000-07:00

You know every little thing is gonna be alright...

Fresh Flower Care, Keeping Them Alive!

2010-04-10T09:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday after Homespun Homeschool Network park day, the kids and I stopped by a field and picked some wildflowers. This orange poppy is Papa's favorite so we place them in some water and sat them on the computer desk for him. When he came home from work it was a happy surprise!

I'm a fresh flower junkie and I relish in keeping them alive as long as possible. Here's my flower care tips:

Place the stems, one at a time, under water in a bowl or the sink.
Cut the flower stem at a slant, under the water. This prevents the flower from "gulping air" and getting an air bubble stuck in it's stem.
Place the flower(s) in fresh water mixed with a few tablespoons of Sprite or 7Up.
Clip the stems and change the water every few days.

I've literally kept roses alive for months with this trick!

The Spiritual Tasks of the Homemaker

2010-04-09T10:54:00.000-07:00

I'm currently reading "The Spiritual Task of the Homemaker" by Manfred Schmidt-Brabant. My friend lent it to me as preparation for our annual trip to the Waldorf in the Home Conference in Sacramento, coming up on April 24th and 25th.

I just read the first chapter and I'm intrigued, I will certainly read on. I'm little off put by the idea that it is a man who wrote it, and not one who considers himself a homemaker - at least not in his bio. Should that be off putting?

The book is deeply rooted in Rudolph Steiner's philosophies which I adore although I don't always subscribe to them 100% but probably 90% at least. This quote grabbed me; "In recent years the role of homemaking has been derided and diminished..." I would agree to that of course but I love how in the first chapter he explains that homemaking was once, and still is, crucial to our collective identities and cultures.

I never thought of homemaking as a cultural supporter before but it really is. It is the homemaker who sustains traditions and routines of their culture. The homemaker is responsible for the educational environment of the children. What the homemaker chooses to do puts a mark on her society for a generation to come!

It makes me think about my marks. What am I weaving into my homemaking? What traditions do I want my children to regard? Can or should those be traditions I myself may not agree with but are part of my culture? How much am I "I", my ego? And how much should "I" play into my role as homemaker and how much should my collective conscience play a role?

All very good questions...I love a book that makes me think!

Face Painting Fun!

2010-04-08T10:56:00.000-07:00

Here's a low cost, fun, indoor activity - face painting! I created this bumble bee using a teaspoon of tumeric mixed with a teaspoon of dish soap (for the yellow) and ground charcoal and dish soap (for the black).

You can create a lot of colors by mixing natural ingredients with equal parts dish soap! Some other ideas include;

beet juice
juiced parsley
mud
clay

Add a few drops of lavender for a soothing experience! For outdoor play paint chest, arms and neck too! It dries fast in the sun and is a great accessory for your next family hike! Easy clean up includes a bubble bath or swim in the river :)

Wednesday Wisdom and Flowers

2010-04-07T12:51:00.001-07:00

"My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come..."
- Song of Solomon 2:10-12

The flowers are apperaing in the land around our home. Some we have picked and displayed fresh. Here I have pictured some flowers we dried by hanging them upside down on a peg attached to the wall. Once they were dried I set them in clean glasses, arranged them and displayed them throughout the house.

It gives such an uplifting, clean, colorful, look.

Giving the day over...

2010-04-06T14:25:00.000-07:00

...to healing.

Taking it easy...

Remembering to smile...

It's so hard for us mamas to slow down. When we get sick a higher power is saying;

Sit down, read a story, let the dishes sit in the sink.
Take time to breathe,
See the sun,
all that needs to, will get done.

Allowing love and faith to carry you through the rough parts, knowing that, as Scarlet always said, "Tomorrow is another day!"

The Easter Bunny Brought Me the Flu...

2010-04-05T11:57:00.000-07:00

...so no menu plan this week. I'm praying it's the flu and not strep again -we all had strep throat for a month earlier this year :(

Two updates:

- I added a "my political beliefs" page on the left side bar.

- My family and I have decided to observe the Sabbath from dinner on Saturday night to dinner on Sunday night so I will be posting Sunday Reflection blogs around 5 PM on Saturday night. Our observations include; candle lit dinner with prayers, no movies, no internet, no "going out" except to church, no buying anything but a Sunday paper, etc.

More Images of Easter

2010-04-04T16:34:00.000-07:00

Guess who came...

I usually give the boys treats for Spring Equinox and Beltane baskets but this year they heard about the Easter Bunny so I pulled some strings and he showed up too

Easter snow

Slushy back porch

Napping Baby, worn out after church

Wooden boat project

Sweet Ro and a bunny from Seth's Step-Mom

My precious Nyk

Easter Collect from Church

Sunday Reflection...Happy Easter

2010-04-03T18:26:00.000-07:00

Biscuits for the Easter potluck

Easter/Sabbath Dinner

Cookin' away...

The Importance of a Family Rhythm

2010-04-03T09:12:00.000-07:00

Our daily rhythm page, clipped to the bottom of our calendar.

Rhythm for children is crucial. They thrive when they know what to expect. Every morning when Nykki crawls into our bed his first question is, "What are we doing today?" He usually follows this up with, "and tomorrow? and the next day? and the after? and the day after?"

I can literally see the relaxation and calm envelope his six-year-old body when he knows what to expect. Humans are naturally anxious. Modern technology protects many of us from the lions, tigers and jaguars of the world however spiritually and genetically our inner-self still quivers at the unknown - the dark closet, the spooky woods, the breath on the back of your neck.

Children's senses are even more attuned to danger. Their minds are still transitioning back and forth from dream to spirit to reality. Their instinct is to stay close to adults and learn how our world works. Rituals and rhythms of the season, holidays, their week and their day free their mind from wondering, "How will this happen? What can expect? Will it be frighting?"

Worrying about their own survival and comfort can take a back seat to expressing themselves in artist and musical ways - developing their soul, crafting their spirit and fully unfolding in a nourishing way.

Our rhythms are simple. Over the year we celebrate the ancient, seasonal holidays such as the first day of summer and May day. We also celebrate birthdays, Christmas, Easter, etc. The boys wait all year for their favorite, and mine, Halloween.

Our birthday tradition with Papa. A simple gathering and some banana bread cake.

Weekly I recommend having a few important commitments to give a "backbone" to your week, to help hold it up - hold it together. The trick is to give some substance but not to over do it. You don't want to "have" to do something everyday.

I recommend a grocery day, an activity such as dance or karate class or a sport like soccer, and a day for worship - however you choose to do that. Anymore then that might weight you down too much.

Having consistent meal times is an easy way to keep your rhythm together.

Daily our rhythm currently looks something like this;

Morning Verse
Breakfast
Brush Teeth, put on clothes
Morning chores, cleaning up
Homeschool lesson and blogging
Lunch
Outside play
Story time or errands
Dinner
Craft time
Bed

Again, I feel giving your day "good posture" is what your looking for - not filling it to the brim, stiff and unbreakable. You want to feel like it flows, breaths, and bends where needed which is why I like the term "rhythm" as opposed to "schedule".

The boys get ready for bed, the same time each night, all year long. Here they are in jammies at 7 PM. This helps them tune into earth's rhythm as they see the sun stay out longer in spring and summer.

Go forth and feel out your flow...

The Veil - We Are Between the Worlds

2010-04-02T10:10:00.000-07:00

"It is written in the stars, child, that only a king who comes of two royalties, one royalty of the Tribes who follow the Goddess, and one royalty of those who look to Rome, will heal our land of all this strife." (Mistress of Magic, Chapter 2, p. 6)

We are enjoying our own "Mists of Avalon" here this week at our home. It seems appropriate for Holy Week - very magickal. It reminds me of last Hallowmas when we awoke to thick mist all around our hill top, wooded home. Nykki was so excited! "It's the veil between the worlds!" he declared, "Look Ronan, it's our ancestors!"

I'm feeling inspired as we get up, eat some warm oatmeal, and get ready for Good Friday services at church today.

I'm thinking of Inanna's Descent as we all undertake this transition period between the death (winter) and rebirth/resurrection (spring).

Three days from death until resurrection.

Three centimeters from transition to pushing (labor).

The Trinity
the Triple Goddess - third times a charm -me, myself and I.

Salmon or Tofu Crepes

2010-04-01T12:47:00.000-07:00

When I was 17 I spent some time in France. Mostly in Paris but also down in Nice and a few other spots along the coast. In Paris they have street-side crepes vendors for tourists. They sorta look like hot dog carts but they make fresh crepes for you while you watch, from scratch.

Silly and touristy though it was - I loved it! I felt so worldly, so grown up - buying food with my own Francs off the Paris street corner.

French men are notorious flirts especially with young tourist women. So it's no surprise that a gentleman working the stand took the time to show little ol' me how to make a crepe - authentic, tourist, Paris style.

Hence my recipe Tofu or Salmon Crepes...

Ingredients

Crepes

3/4 cup flour
3 eggs
pinch of salt
1 cup milk

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, well. Using a large soup ladle spoon fill it about 3/4 full with the batter. Pour onto a medium hot skittle. Count to 5, feel free to do so in French, then using the underside of the ladle begin pushing the batter outward in a spiral until it is as thin as you can spread it. If you make a hole don't worry just dab some batter on it and keep spreading. Cook until it's flippable, flip cook until it's barely golden. Make about 9-10, set aside in a warm place.

Tofu or Salmon

Take 1/2 pound firm tofu or canned salmon. Crumble in a bowl using your fingers or a fork. Add 1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes and a pinch of salt. Toss together. In a skillet sautee your favorite veggie(s) with lemon and butter to taste, (I like asparagus) on medium heat for until veggies are tender.

Add Tofu or Salmon mix, stir over heat for about 2 minutes. Spoon veggie and salmon or tofu mix into crepes, roll up. Top with a spoon full of melted butter and a dash of sour cream.

Yum!

Wednesday Wisdom

2010-03-31T09:50:00.000-07:00

"Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say , Master. Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her." John 20:16,18

In my tradition (I emphasize with love - my, personal tradition)I see Christ as the latest and most influential earthly incarnations of God. To me He is part of the ancient Pagan mystery tradition. The following is from Religious Tolerance.com

"Dionysus, a Greek God, and Osiris, an Egyptian God were viewed as mythical characters. Osiris may have been the first god-man. His story has been found recorded in pyramid texts which were written prior to 2,500 BCE. These and other saviors were truly interchangeable. Coins have been found with Dionysus on one side and Mithras on the other. A person who was initiated into one of the mysteries had no difficulty switching to another Pagan mystery religion.

In the 3rd century CE, these god-men were referred to by the composite name "Osiris-Dionysus." Authors Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy have used this term in their book "The Jesus Mysteries."

[All the God's experienced] [e]xecution, resurrection, etc. [The commonalities were that] He was killed near the time of the Vernal Equinox, about MAR-21.He died as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. He was hung on a tree, stake, or cross...On the third day after his death, he returned to life. The cave where he was laid was visited by three of his female followers. He later ascended to heaven."

The tomb is empty! Christ lives! Alleluia!

Knowing How to "Make Stuff"

2010-03-30T10:55:00.000-07:00

"Sewing is special because you get to make things and I get to make my little brothers toys." -Nykki

Sewing is an important part of our mental and spiritual development. Our ancient ancestors sewed before they could write, before they could read -even before they could speak.

The picture above is for Nykki's sewing sampler he's working on. It's his back stitch. In my opinion, it's practical to teach my boys to sew. I don't know what path there lives will take or where our society will be when they get there but I'll be danged if my boys will be dependent upon Walmart or Kohls for their clothing.

I think teaching boys home arts is especially important. Many mother's today are not teaching their girls how to keep a tidy home, how to cook, sew, knit, raise babies, and otherwise take care of their family. It's not "cool", it's not "modern".

In case my one of my boys falls in love with one of these "modern" girls, he will be able to help her in the keeping a nice home.

That isn't to say I load them up simply on home arts, they also learn karate, farming, hunting/trapping, water purification, archery, reading, math, science, politics, community involvement, etc.

Three cheers for well rounded boys!

Menu Plan Monday

2010-03-29T11:56:00.000-07:00

This menu plan is for a family of 5, two adults, two male children and a breastfeeding babe. Because I have growing boys the meals and snacks a quite abundant. I don't typically use all the recommended spices in a recipe so if it's in a recipe but not on the store list, that's why (my children and hubby like bland food). This menu follows the nourishing traditions diet but has vegetarian options for my husband where needed. Enjoy!

B = Breakfast
L = Lunch
D = Dinner
P = Prep work

Already made last week – 2 loaves Sourdough bread, cultured oats (soak oats with water and a few teaspoons yogurt, over night), soak black beans

Mon.
B- Oatmeal with butter and brown sugar
L- Baked potatoes with cheese and steamed broccoli
D- Full Moon Soup (Black bean soup with a sour cream "moon" on top)
P- Soak 1/2 cup cornmeal with 1 1/2 cup water and one tablespoon yogurt

Tue.
B- Cornmeal waffles*
L- Lamb or Tofu stuffed pitas with lettuce and tomato
D- Salmon or tofu stuffed crepes* with sauteed asparagus
P-

*Cornmeal Waffles: Place cornmeal and water in a pot, bring to a gradual boil while stirring. Set aside, add 3 tablespoons butter, stir until creamy. When it has cooled to lukewarm add 1 egg yolk and blend the add 3/4 cup sour milk or butter milk and 2 teaspoons brown sugar, blend. In a another bowl shift one cup flour, 1/2 teaspoons baking soda and 3 teaspoons baking powder, in another bowl beat three egg whites until peaks form. Add wet to dry and then gently fold in egg whites. Top with butter and honey.

*Crepes: one cup flour, 3 eggs, 1/2 cup milk - blend well and spread thinly with a ladel on a hot skittle, flip when brown.

Wed.
B- Scrambled eggs
L- Peanut butter and honey sandwiches with carrot, apple, raisin salad
D- Broccoli and cashew casserole
P-

Thur. Fast Thursday
B- Fast
L- Fast
D- Omelet with grated cheese and sauteed mushrooms
P- Culture Oats, sprout barley by soaking it in water a rinsing it well twice daily

Fri.
B- Oatmeal with frozen berries
L- Scrambled egg and red pepper stir fry topped with sliced tomatoes
D- Lamb and pineapple (without curry, glaze and stir fried instead of kabobbed)
P- Soak rice

Sat.
B- Srambled eggs, toast and fruit
L- Sliced tomatoes on top of cooked rice with a splash of olive oil and salt/pepper to taste
D- Barely Casserole
P- make granola by toasting oats with melted butter, honey, pumpkin seeds and a few tablespoons of flour in the oven until crisp

Sun.
B- Granola
L- Easter potluck at church
D- Left over buffet

Snacks: popcorn, yogurt with honey, fruit, hard boiled eggs, carrots, cheese sticks, apples

Deserts: Custard (using honey instead of sugar and cinnamon instead of nutmeg), Honey Wheat Cookies*

*1 cup honey, 1 cup butter, 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 2 eggs, beaten, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Mix all ingredients together, drop on a greased cookie sheet by the teaspoon, bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Store List

Remember to buy local and organic when possible :)

Lamb meat 1 lb(ground)
Tofu 2 lbs
Onion 3 count
Seseame seeds
Olive oil
salt/pepper
pita bread
barely
mushrooms
lemon juice
veggie broth
eggs 3 dozen
carrots 5 lbs
cheese 2 lbs
tomatoes 4 count
rice 2 cups
basil
salmon 1 can
asparagus 1 bunch
milk 1 gallon
flour 3 lbs
veganaise
3 red bell pepper
garlic
canned chunk pineapple
tomato paste
asian spices
broccoli 4 heads
cashews 1 cup
pasta noodles
butter 1 lb
swiss cheese 1 lb
parmesan cheese
potatoes
sour cream black beans (canned)
lettuce
honey
cornstarch
vanilla
baking soda baking powder
cinnamon
oats 6 cups
brown sugar
bacon 1/2 lb
frozen berries
pumpkin seeds
cornmeal 1 cup

Sunday Reflection...

2010-03-28T14:43:00.000-07:00

As we go into Holy Week, I thought I would show you how the scriptures can be even sweeter...