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Simple Tip – Thankful Thinking

October 31, 2011 in My Simple Living

I wanted to write a few posts on thinking and outlook.  I have probably touched on it before, but it is so huge.  So much of life is formed in how we choose in our head to see it. 

So minimalism or simple living is having less stuff right?  Society tries very hard to make us feel like we don’t have enough stuff and tries to makes us want to buy more and more.   This isn’t evil, it makes tones of economic sense, I just don’t want to follow it.

The way to combat the feeling of needing more and more stuff is to really focus on being thankful for what I have.   What I have is a gift.  I didn’t deserve it but I want to manage and make the most of it.

I wanted to focus a bit on what I am thankful for.  Your list is probably a bit different, but I bet we have lots of the same things.  (sorry, kinda on a list kick from last Wed still)

I am thankful for:

    1. Life, all 31 years
    2. Health, not always the best, but sure could be far worse
    3. An amazing husband who is teaching me how to love and that I am valued
    4. Energetic, healthy, and smart kids
    5. Enough money in the bank to not worry about buying groceries
    6. Almost being out of debt (we have been working hard at paying off the Prius)
    7. The ability to read and the incredible amount of books available
    8. The chance and finances to stay home with my kids and home school them
    9. Modern medicine and the preventative health information to use it as little as possible
    10. Great friends
    11. Caffeine free coffee (I can’t handle the caffeine, wigs me out, but I love the taste)
    12. Dark chocolate
    13. Olives… ok, I should probably just put great food or this list could really get long
    14. Sunny days, and hot summer days, and a south facing apartment
    15. Mostly consistent work since we became self-employed over 4 years ago
    16. A God who loves and has saved me
    17. Our minimalism journey which makes it much easier to clean, find things and/or move
    18. Awesome garage sales and Craigslist to both sell what we don’t need anymore and get things we do
    19. Blogging, the fun people I have gotten to know through it, and the challenging process of learning how to do it
    20. Sleep…. my favorite hobby
    21. Facebook and the fact that I have caught up with almost everyone I ever knew in the last few years… and the ability to take my time back and not spend near as much time on it as I have been.
    22. Brown paper packages and whiskers on kittens
    23. British Comedy
    24. Early bedtimes and quiet evenings
    25. …..my need to finish off a list with a nice round number like 25.

What does your list look like?  I dare you to make on–just making one makes the day feel better.

 

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I Am More Than A Mom

October 26, 2011 in Minimalist Parenting

This past sunday the kids went to play at grandma’s for the day and Bryon and I wandered kid-less for a few hours downtown.  These are some of the pictures he took.

I want to start off by saying that in no way am I saying that anyone needs to be more than a mom to be fulfilled.  I am a stay-at-home mom.  I am also not saying that being a mom isn’t super important to me.  It is my biggest responsibility and my greatest job.

That being said, I am more than a mom. 

Becoming a mom is the single largest identity change.  Graduating from college, getting married, getting the corner office, none of these are close to the social change that comes from becoming a mother.  (probably the biggest personal and physical change too)

I was someone before I had kids, and I will be someone after they leave home.  I want my life and how I see myself as well as others and society to remember that identity. 

I am not talking about doing, this isn’t a post about working or non-working mom’s, I am talking about who I am.

I am:

  1. A strange combination of shy and bossy
  2. Outdoorsy, especially live for hiking
  3. Not a kid person
  4. Always cold
  5. A people pleaser
  6. Type A with a mix of hippy
  7. Spontaneous because I am such a planner that if I have the chance and time to plan it tires me out
  8. Loud guitar player (not good, but I love loud)
  9. Mostly vegan
  10. Concerned about the environment but more concerned about helping the people it is affecting now
  11. Concerned about animal rights but more concerned about child prostitution
  12. … wish I had dreads, but don’t have all the guts to pull it off yet
  13. Love non-fiction reading – positive, informative stuff
  14. Proud of my kids
  15. Sure the world is going to end, but convinced I need to trust God and enjoy life, only dealing with what can make a difference and not stressing about what I can’t change… or packing cans in the basement.   … this isn’t a problem we can work out or plan for beyond staying close to Jesus.
  16. Accepting of others but unsure how to culturally meet several
  17. Live life in fast/happy or slow/sad swing
  18. Don’t watch TV or movies much, I get too emotionally drained
  19. Don’t watch or read the news (see #15)
  20. Believe that most of life is what we create, how we respond and what glasses we choose to look through
  21. Not near as strong or healthy as I wish I was, but determined to keep working on it
  22. I don’t spell very whell
  23. Have been in 7 countries and really hope to multiply that by 10 or so if I get the chance
  24. Love my life
  25. In love with my husband more than when we were married

 Really this is a post about stereotypes (motherhood is just the big one I see everyday). It is hard with human nature to look beyond them.  But, I am learning the joy of taking the time to look past the outside and obvious parts of a person and finding some of their true self.  Often, even though the outside/obvious person doesn’t seem similar or have ‘friend potential’, the inside has pieces identical to mine. 

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Amazingly Awesome (vegan, healthy) Yellow Cake

October 20, 2011 in Vegan Simple Eating Recipes

I wanted to share a recipe for cake.  I know this is under ‘Simple Eating’, but trust me… this sure isn’t hard.   Really I think it is a great shame that we have box cakes.  I think they taste yucky and, because of them, most people have never tried to make a cake from scratch or are afraid to try.

Trust me, it isn’t hard and it is sooo worth it.  Not only does it taste better it is healthier and there is no goofy, fake ingredients in it.  I will walk you through it, we will do it together :)

This recipe started from Better Homes and Gardens New Baking book… and I have adapted to make it vegan and healthier.

First assemble the ingredients and set oven to 375 degrees.

  • 1 cup unbleached white flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp flax seeds ground
  • 1/4 cup oil (I use canola)
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar (you can use brown or other natural sugars or use less than this if you want)
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 3/4 cups milk (soy, almond, rice, whatever your prefer)

Next put some oil on the pan and then dust flour over the oil (I used some butter… sorry to the die hard vegans, it works fine without it, it was just what I grabbed).  Put about 1 tbsp of white flour in the pan and then shake it around till it covers bottom and sides and then dump out the extra.

Not a very exciting picture… but you get the idea.

Next mix the dry ingredients.  This is the flours, baking powder, salt and ground flax seed (not the sugar…even though it is dry).

Next, in another bowl mix the sugar, oil and vanilla.

Measure out the milk and add about 1/2 cup to mixture to make it runny (as shown above).

Alternate adding about about 1/2 to 1 cup of dry ingredients and mixing and then adding some milk to thin it back out until all the dry and milk are mixed in.  Milk, mix, dry, mix, repeat.

Then divide into the two cake pans.  Let mixture sit for 15 minutes.  This lets the whole wheat flour soak up some moisture.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes or until the toothpick inserted comes out clean or you tap it on the top and it is firm.

 

Let cool for 10 minutes and then pull out of pans.

There you have it.  Isn’t it beautiful!  And the house now smells awesome.  You have now done what an embarrassingly small percent of women ever try, you have successfully baked a cake from scratch.

Let it cool for an hour or more and then you are ready to frost.  This recipe can also be made into cupcakes, it only takes about 20 minutes (or less so watch them close) to bake them.

Ok, so I cheated here too.  I frosted it with whipped cream.  I really dislike the super sweet gritty frosting and really like the whipped cream taste with the yellow cake.  Maybe sometime I will make up my chocolate version, I have a good vegan chocolate frosting that is super good.  This cake was for Grandma’s birthday.  Happy Birthday Grandma!

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Overlooked Perks of Home School Part 2

October 14, 2011 in Simple Home School

(love this pic, we got it on the way to the library on monday.  I just love the way the sun shoots through the pic and leave lots of spots… this was a lucky shot… I am not good enough to figure out how to find this otherwise)

This is Part 2 of ‘Overlooked Perks of Home School.  See Part 1

S=Sunlight

This might be something where home school is better at avoiding. We try and stay out of the sun between 10 and 2 and then get outside time in the afternoon. Most outdoor periods at schools are during the middle of the day when the sunlight is the most dangerous to the skin.

T=Temperance

This is using good stuff wisely and avoiding the bad stuff. At the age of my kids I don’t think/hope that they would be dealing with drinking, drugs or cigarettes, but they do deal a lot with sugar. Sugar is everywhere for kids, free cookies at the store, suckers at the bank, treats from friends, bags of candy …. from seemingly everywhere. Sugar is also a main ingredient in most processed snacks that kids end up taking and eating in school (see nutrition in part 1). Sugar is unhealthy, addictive and makes it hard for kids to sit still and concentrate. These are all bad things for a learning environment. Sure, sugar is great, and we eat our share of deserts, but we can limit it at home much easier. … out of sight out of mind kind of idea.

(Really this is just a shot with Lily’s eyes closed, but I thought it looked like she was enjoying the air:))

A=Air

Do you know that most schools now can’t open the windows? My husband has worked on several schools and school remodels (he does construction) and most of the windows now are made not to open or to only open a crack. My first thought is fire safety, but fresh air is also super important for health as well as airing and cleaning out the germy air. As long as it isn’t crazy cold we have the windows open at least a crack all the time. Depending on the whether they are open early or late or both, but there is almost always air available.  I love the smell of fresh air!

R=Rest

This is another big one! Kids are kids, they have crazy days and they go through growth spurts. Sleep is not only important for health, but also for a properly functioning mind. Most of the time my kids wake up before 6:30 on their own…. I would prefer to stay in bed till 8 :) , but there are days when one or both of them sleeps in. With home school I never have to wake them up. If they miss some of the earlier classes, we can just catch up later in the day. It is way easier to teach a rested kid later than a tired zoned out one ‘on schedule’. We also have rest period in the afternoon. The kids don’t usually sleep (sometimes I get lucky and Ian falls asleep) but they have a quiet rest on their bed reading. … and I have a quiet house for a few minutes which is great for my sanity and health.

(Ian loves the monkey bars, but he isn’t quite big enough.  Here he wanted me to lift him up and let him hang for a while…. he loves ‘dropping’ into the sand below)

T=Trust in God

Often overlooked, this is super important to our physical health. Not only to learn about the Bible in school, but learn about how to incorporate Trust In God into our lives. It is something I am still learning, but it is an amazing key to health to let go of what we can’t control and trust God to handle it. … that right there can probably add more years to my/your life than any one of the other things in this list. Not sure if we are doing a better job at home school than a Christian school, but we are doing our best.

There you have it. Not saying that school is terrible or parents who send their kids to school are being unhealthy, just saying it is amazing how much easier most of these points are at home without even putting much time or effort into it. 

This is exciting to me. It is exciting when I see learning, social, and health benefits all coming from the same direction. … makes it easier to continue pressing on and makes me glad I made the decision to try home school.

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Simple Compassion-ADRA Helping Women in Balgladesh

October 11, 2011 in Simple Compassion

I wanted to help raise awareness of some huge world issues by highlighting some amazing things being done.  It is easy to feel overwhelmed when I hear of all the pain that so many people live through, but there is so much hope when people allow themselves to be used by God to be His hands.  Women especially have a hard time and I am excited to hear how this program is helping.  If you know of another great project that is making a difference, let me know!  Here is a link to the full article.

SILVER SPRING, Md. – In Bangladesh, women and girls struggle for equality due to patriarchal traditions of the country. This results in a minimized role in decision-making within family and social structures, leading to marginalization in a variety of areas, such as education and health. The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is improving the health status of women and their children through nutrition, hygiene, and skill training programs.

In the slum area of Mirpur, a suburb of the Bangladesh capital city Dhaka, ADRA is training new mothers and pregnant women health and nutrition methods to improve health conditions. Women are taught the importance of taking adequate care of themselves as well as their children through proper feeding, basic hygiene practices, monitoring children’s growth, and properly vaccinating children to prevent disease, such as polio. ADRA’s training has benefitted approximately 2,000 women and 500 severely malnourished children under the age of five, and an additional 10,000 household members indirectly.

For a number of years, a young mother by the name of Nargis (pictured above) and her husband Abdul Goni, have been living in the Chalantika slum with their three young children. Nargis expressed her family did not maintain proper hygiene within the home and admitted hand washing with soap after bathroom use was something they were not familiar with. A significant change in their lifestyle came after ADRA made a community visit to their home. Shortly thereafter, Nargis began attending ADRA’s hygiene, sanitation, and literacy classes.

Since joining, Nargis is now preparing nutritious meals for her family and monitors her children’s growth and health. She boils water to ensure it’s safe for her and her family to drink and has enrolled her two oldest sons into school. Nargis now shares what ADRA has taught her with her neighbors, and through her lifestyle changes, she has attracted many others to ask and learn these simple life-saving methods.

To learn more about ADRA’s humanitarian efforts, please contact ADRA at 1.800.424.ADRA (2372) or give online at www.adra.org

Follow ADRA on Twitter and Facebook to get the latest information as it happens.

ADRA is a global non-governmental organization providing sustainable community development and disaster relief without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, race or ethnicity.

For more information about ADRA, visit www.adra.org

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Forks Over Knives

September 30, 2011 in Simple Eating Blog

Much anticipated and desperately needed, the movie “Forks Over Knives” is now available! My husband and I watched it on Neflix (available for instant streaming).

Trailer and website.

Timely and life saving information in a great presentation.I am not sure where to start writing about it. I think everyone should watch it. If you don’t have Netflix, than you can sign up for a 30 day trial and watch it. If you do have Netflix… there is no excuse. (It is also available for rent from Amazon Forks Over Knives.)

The truth about food is out there, and it isn’t that complicated. Health and weight is not the mystery that it is made out to be For the most part it is really simple. However, in this case, simple isn’t always easy.

But simple is sure a good start. Society is bombarded with so much health advice that often contradicts, that it is dizzying. I have always been on a quest for health, and it is easy to head in a different direction with every book or every fad trying to find the ‘secret’. It is frustrating, time-consuming and expensive.

The truth is that all the health push on our society for the last 50 or so years isn’t working.  People are getting fatter and getting diet related diseases more and more.

‘Forks Over Knives’ takes the work of experts in the field. It tells the story of The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted And the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss, And Long-term Healthby Dr Collin Campbell.

I loved this book when I first read it, and it was neat to see him and hear more about how all his research was done. The movie also interviews and follows other well-known experts in the field.

The only drawback I see with this movie is that it is too much to cover in a video. Just like almost any other movie that has roots in books, the book has key information that isn’t/can’t all be included in the movie.

I have trouble tackling the subject down to write about. Depending on who you are, one or more of these is a big issue for you:

  • Cancer
  • Obesity
  • Heart Disease
  • Lots of other diseases
  • Fresh water supply
  • Endangered Animals
  • Rainforests
  • Cruelty to Animals
  • Ozone Layer

… and many other reasons all have the same answer. A whole foods, plant-based diet. It doesn’t answer everything in each point, but it is arguably the most important factor in all of them.

Along with the movie some of the best books on the topic that I would recommend are:

The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted And the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss, And Long-term Health

In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto

Food Revolution, The: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life and Our WorldHealthy Living Books)

It is a big deal, but it is simple. Not easy, but significant

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Making a Big Difference…. Simply.

September 20, 2011 in Simple Compassion

Welcome to my simple living blog!  Thanks for reading.  Take a look around and feel free to comment or e-mail me. 

I want to share a simple way that my family has been involved in making a powerful difference.  For the last 3ish years we have sponserd 2 children through World Vision.

First off I have a huge burden for those in 3rd world countries.  There are evils and poverty in our country, but here there are programs everywhere for food and medical.  Clean water and education are amazingly easy to come by no matter who you are or where you are.  In other countries it isn’t this way.   Lack of clean water, food and basic medical attention kill millions of people.  The education that could help pull them out of the cycle is often something they can’t get, don’t have time to get, or are too weak to get.  We did nothing to deserve where we were born and they did nothing to deserve where they were born.  In the world, we are all family and we should do all we can to help each other. 

What is neat about world vision is the connection.  We picked 2 children, matching ages and genders with our own as close as we could and have been able to write back and forth and learn about how they are benefiting from our support.  We know that these children will grow up to get the education that can give lasting help to their community. 

Let me introduce you to our kids:

Juster(below)-Juster is a 7-year-old girl in Malawi.  She seems shy, but likes to draw us pictures and is doing well in school.  Her aunt writes us letters because she isn’t old enough to write yet.  As she does more school I am looking forward to seeing letters from her.  Last Christmas we sent extra money and she was able to get several things including a metal storage container to keep the bugs from destroying her blankets, cloths and a goat.  We send $35 for Juster every month and a world vision worker checks on her everyday because she is high risk.  She is a Hope Child.

Phochland(seen at the top of the post)-Phochland is a little 4-year-old boy with lots of older siblings living in northeast India.  Still to old to do school or write he has done a few simple drawings or colorings for us and we send him lots of stickers.  He loves playing ball and is very healthy.  Last Christmas, with some extra money we sent, world vision purchased a bike for his dad.  We send $30 a month for Phochland and the world vision worker checks on him every week. 

Sponsor a Child

These are my additional kids.  It has been a great experience for our whole family.  Lily and Ian both write letters and pick out stickers and treats to send.  We would love to visit them someday. 

In this world we can’t fix all the problems, and it seems overwhelming when we hear all the terrible struggles people face.  I love that I can do something for someone.  These kids, their families and their communities benefit from a small amount that is automatically withdrawn out of my account each month. 

Will you help too?  Will you find a kid to help?  It is super easy, pick and kid and set up automatic withdrawal and they take it from there.  If you have time, when you remember, you can send a note, but your money is working even when you don’t think about it.

My reason for writing this article is two-fold.   First, I think all kids deserve a chance no matter where they are born, and I believe World Vision does a great job of offering sustainable help to communities.

Second, if I can convince 5 of you to sign up by the end of Sep to sponsor a child I get entered in a drawing for a trip to Peru.  So, if you sign up, send me an e-mail with your name and your sponsored childs ID number :)  I would also love to hear how it is going as you sponsor your child. 

This is such a great opportunity.  As much as I would love to fly over to some of these countries and try to help, I can’t figure out a good way now.  What my small contribution does every month provides the practical, educated, lasting help that I can’t physically give.  It is a blessing to be involved, simple to , and a bargain! 

Will you sponsor?  Sponsor Now! 

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Yummy Banana Muffins

August 17, 2011 in Vegan Simple Eating Recipes

This is supposed to be a banana bread recipe but it is easier to eat in muffin form and I don’t have any bread pans in my kitchen right now.  This is another recipe that I have modified to make vegan.  Healthier for my family and the world :)  

I modified it from my Betty Crocker cookbook that has lost the front and back cover… so I don’t know what the exact name of it is, and it is on page 50 (if that helps at all)

  • 1 cup sugar (I think it could be done with less, it was pretty sweet)
  • 1/4 cup oil and 1/4 cup water mixed together and then mixed with the sugar
  • 2 tbsp flax seeds ground and let sit in 1/3 cup water for a few minutes (mixed in with the sugar oil combo)
  • 3-4 mashed bananas (mix in)
  • 1/2 cup soy milk with 1 tbsp lemon juice (this makes a kind of buttermilk substitute)
  • 2-3 tsps of vanilla (mix all wet ingredients)
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour (or 2 1/2 white or a combination of both flours)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt (mix dry ingredients in all at the same time until just mixed)
  • 1/2-1 cup of chocolate chips (or nuts or a combo)

Bake at 350.  These take longer to bake because they are wetter.  As a loaf it takes over an hour, as muffins it takes about 30ish minutes.  Lots can depend on how may bananas or the kind of flour.  Just bake until the toothpick comes out clean or it is done in the middle.   enjoy :)

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Healthy Eating On The Road

August 2, 2011 in Vegan Simple Eating Recipes

So my family is just finishing a 5 week road trip. All the time in the car eating snack foods and going out make it hard to eat healthy and feel healthy. I shot this one day that was working for us. Hummus is a wonder food! It is high in protein and good fat and can be paired with fresh veggies or a good carbohydrate for a balanced meal or snack.

Buying hummus (hommus) it is important to read the label and get one with as little foreign ingredients as possible. It is made of Garbanzos (chic peas) and often Tahini (ground sesame seeds) and spices.

These chips we got from Trader Joes were great too. All food and no junk. The ingredients list is the dead giveaway. I try to always read it before I buy.

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Dads Salad

July 21, 2011 in Vegan Simple Eating Recipes

My dad made this salad when we came up to visit him a week ago. It was fabulous, so I wanted to share it. Salad can be a meal, but it has to be more than just iceberg lettuce and ranch. The idea with cooking shouldn’t be low fat it should be high nutrition. With high and balance nutrition, not only will the family be healthier, they will also be full till the next meal and not feel starved.

Dad’s Salad

  • Spinach (could also use another good deep green leaf or a combo) Tomato, Carrots, Zucchini, Yellow Peppers (could put in all kinds of other veggies, whatever is cheap and in season)
  • Veggie Hot Dog slices and chick peas (protein, could also put in beans or just lots of chick peas, I love them!)
  • Soy Cheese, olives (fat, could put in any cheese, nuts, olives, or flax meal. This, with the protein is what is filling and lasts so)
  • Strawberries (something sweet, could be any fruit, some people do raisins or crasins, but I don’t like them in salads)
  • Dressing is made from lemon juice, lime juice and olive oil (About 1 to 1 to 2 or 3 ratio). Other spices that taste really good are dill, garlic, rosemary, basil, chives or small amounts of ginger, curry. (not all at the same time)

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