Washington Bound

Sometimes life just whizzes by way too fast.  No matter how much I get done, I'm always still behind.  Ever feel like your life is living you?  Like the woulda-shoulda-couldas are eating you up?  The constant race to relax is making me crazy.  A break from the routine is what I need. When the going gets too tough, the tough go on vacation!  It's just for a long weekend to Washington to recharge my batteries.  This is kind of the vacation I need to reflect and process all the changes going on in my life.  I plan to do more of these.  Even if I can’t afford or don’t feel like taking  an extended vacation far from home I am going to treat myself to a more low-key getaway: a day trip antiquing or a long walk along the beach.  Even spending an afternoon just lying on a soft blanket in a park will do wonders for the soul. 

It’s been years since my last trip to Washington and wow what a mistake that was!  I was living with my ego even though I supposedly "woke up" to it after listening to Eckhart Tolle over and over and over again.  It’s easy to touch enlightenment and then still slip back into your former type A habits.   But I am proud to say that in the calm after the storm Chris and  I will soon be in a snowy winter cabin sitting by the fire having a well deserved break!  

Remember, just because you have only 24 hours in the day and need 30, it doesn’t mean you can’t go out, enjoy life, and be you.  So often we wait for all the planets to be aligned, our closets to be neat and tidy and our endless to-do lists to be checked off before we allow ourselves to have fun.  We believe that only after we get all our “stuff” done can we take a deep breath and live.

Well, life doesn’t wait for order.  In fact, it thrives on chaos.  Breathe now.  Burn the lists and let the dust bunnies roll like tumbleweeds.  Narrow your focus to what really matters: YOU.  Have dessert first!  Dance on tables!  Go on vacation!  Be different!  Why would you want to be anything but?

Rotten Tomatoes

Before becoming healthy vegan I would buy vegetables.  I knew I was supposed to feed them to my family so I bought a bag of __________ (insert anything green here) and kept it in the fridge until it was slimy, then I would toss it and buy another bag of _________ and repeat.  My idea of vegetables was a bag of salad mix and a tomato.

I am proud of my produce bins.  They are actually crispers and not rotters.  They usually have 5 or 6 kinds of fruit and as much kale, spinach and other leafy greens I can pack in there.  

This will all be gone in 4 or 5 days. I always eat what is in season so imagine how this will change in the summer with peaches, melons and tomatoes!?  Yum!

Here is my freezer stuffed full of mango and bananas.  Mangos can be expensive and not my favorite fruit to peel so I am always on the lookout at Ralph's for their pre-cut mango to be reduced.  Since I freeze it for smoothies it doesn't have to be at the peak of freshness.  Same goes for my bananas.  I get organic bananas at Ralph's reduced to .28 cents per pound.  (Note:  Before you freeze bananas, peel them and put them on a cookie sheet so they are not touching.  You can then put them in a freezer bag.  If you don't do this you will find them hard to peel frozen and they will stick together if you don't freeze them not touching first....lessons learned.)


A few people have asked  how expensive eating like this is.  It is cheaper than our old diet of processed foods, cereals, breads, cookies, chips, and junk.  For a family of three I spend about $130.00 per week and that includes breakfast, lunches for school and work, dinner and a few snacks.

I usually shop once a week so the food is fresh and we will empty those produce bins in about 5 days.  We are eating lots and lots of food - it doesn't have a chance to get slimy!

What I Ate Yesterday:

• Breakfast: Old-fashioned rolled oats with raisins, carrot and orange smoothie
• Lunch: Tempeh, apple chips
• Snack: Orange
• Dinner: Meatless "meatloaf" of white beans, tofu, sweet potato and quinoa flakes, vegan mashed potatoes, vegan mushroom gravy, kale salad with a dressing of almond butter, coconut water, dates, lime, tamari and garlic

I went to bed full and satisfied!

Q & A

These are the questions I have been asked the most about becoming a "Nurtitarian":
 ..............................

Q. In addition to the eat particulars, of which I am very interested, I want to know what is your daily routine looking like now that you are making these changes?

A. It takes more time and I am thinking about it a lot! I spend lots of time reading recipes, planning meals and imagining my new healthy lifestyle.  But I can tell that I will get used to it and it will become second nature eventually. I have been reading lots of blogs about vegans / nutritarians and even raw food diets (although I am finding some raw food diets not any healthier than processed vegetarian diets).

Q. How has it affected your time for meal preperation?

A. I am finding that preparing fruits and vegetables in a food processor or blender is cleaner than preparing food using oil.  The clean up is a breeze!  I actually don't cook as much because the salad is the main course or I am making soup using a blender.  Instead I chop and my knives are getting a workout. I am learning to cook food differently without oil and margarine.  I do more steaming of vegetables.

Q. Shopping for groceries?  How much more frequently do you go to the store?  Does it take more time?

A. I still only go shopping once a week but I do go to two or three different markets on my outings (Ralphs, Sprouts Natural Market, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Follow Your Heart Market).  Thankfully, all the stores that I need are close. (With the exception of Follow Your Heart, I can actually see them in a line down Ventura Blvd.)  It's a whole new culture and there is so much to learn and explore.  For example, learning about a foods ANDI Score.  Another benefit is I am trying so many new foods!  I have to say that I feel much better emotionally in Follow Your Heart Market than I do in Super Walmart.

Q. Do you need as much sleep, more, less, the same?

A. I am sleeping more soundly and waking up easier but I can tell that I am still in withdrawal and have toxins in my body.  I get fatigued in the afternoon.  I read that is normal. With the change in diet, yoga, cardio and weight training I am doing so many new things to my body that it is in shock!

Q. Has it affected your hormones, like in the PMS category, period, menstrual cycle?
A. I have suffered from PMS most of my life and this last time around I was surprised that it actually came without warning.  My skin was clear.   I felt good.  I hadn't craved any junk food at all.  I didn't really have any of the normal symptoms that signal that it's that-time-of-the-month. No cramps. No cravings at all. Amazing.

Q. I  really want to know about the exercise.  How frequently?  How much?  Do you have a personal trainer?  Gym or at home?  What days do you train and not train?  Weights, cardio or both?  Morning or evening?  once or twice a day?

A. I did a fitness assessment with a trainer but as of yet have not hired one.  I will have another fitness assessment done in five weeks and if I don't see the results I want I may hire her for a couple of weeks.  I go to the gym any chance I can get.  I like classes so I first check to see if there is any class I can attend whether it is Zumba, Ball Blast, Pilates, etc.  I also make it a point to go to yoga at least twice a week.  Additionally, I will do 30 minutes of cardio (Elliptical machine) on my own followed by a 30 minutes weight session.  Since my schedule is all over the place, instead of counting days at the gym, I could hours.  I go a minimum of five hours a week.  I don't really have much weight to lose so my goal with the workouts is to gain flexibility, strength and endurance.  If I loose ten pounds I won't complain.

Q. Has it had any affect on your sex life?

A. Well, my husband works long hours so I don't get to see him much but I do notice my confidence has improved so I would say...yes.Look out, Mr. Collier!   Grrrrr!

Morning Person

So for the past few mornings I have found myself getting up super early and being super productive.  Unfortunately, the productivity doesn't last for long but long enough to get a few projects done before the seductive glow of the computer starts calling my name.

In my computer time warp, I came across this idea at Family Fun so I decided to make some for Hayden's class on Valentine's Day. (Praise me for thinking ahead!) 

Happy Monday!

Early to Rise

I woke up super early and motivated this morning so I finished a couple of projects...

 
Cards for Hayden to write his Christmas thank-yous... 

Cards I made for me.  I got a Taylored Expression gift card from my friend Stacy for my birthday and used it to buy this adorable Cuppie stamp set.  I just <3 Cuppie!  Looks, he's stamping! :)

Lastly, I altered this notebook to use as a journal.

Then I fell victim to the gentle glow of the computer screen and got sucked into blog surfing and productivity came to a halt.  In my travels I found this which has to be one of the cutest ideas for toilet paper rolls I have seen!  Yes, I collect toilet paper rolls for various projects and now I have another reason!  Enjoy :)

Don't Worry About a Thing

I love music!  All kinds of music.  So when I woke up this morning singing “Three Little Birds” by  Bob Marley I thought why not write a little about the glow.  “Rise up this mornin', smiled with the risin' sun, three little birds perched by my doorstep singin' sweet songs of melodies pure and true, sayin', "This is my message to you-ou-ou:”  Well Marley was on to a marvelous universal truth.

I know this is suppose to be a craft blog but ever since I started blogging about some of the changes in my life...changes in attitude and in lifestyle...I've been getting several emails a day.  Most of them are exploding with love and optimism!  Still, there are a few that hate the sunny message and love to tell me where to stick all this sunshine.  This makes me think long and hard about the human condition.  I learned when I owned my last business that if you believe the good comments you have to believe the bad ones, too.   As soon as someone says you’re the next champagne supernova someone else will tell you you’re a turd. 

My friend, the beloved Outlanders hottie, actress, educator and real-life Pollyanna, Ryan Dowler, had me do a 21-Day Gratitude Challenge back in August and on my birthday sent me a card telling me my life had become a tampon commercial (you know the ones...sunshine, carefree, no worries about leakage).   Very cool, right?  So why did it make me blush and feel uncomfortable?  Because happy can be scary!  I used to think it was arrogant to show my happiness...like I was bragging if I shared the good things in my life.   So I joined the herd and bitched with the best of them.  It’s just so easy to do.  Politics, the environment, the economy, my mother, factory farming...you name it.  There is plenty to complain about!  Then I got coerced into this 21-Day Gratitude Challenge and my branches broke.  At that moment I realized that the secret to happiness is the decision to be happy.  Duh!

Happiness doesn’t come from a permission slip.  What you think about is what you get.  When I focus on what’s wrong in my life I somehow seem to get more of it!  In 2009 I separated from my husband for five month.  I was focused on what I wasn't getting in my marriage instead of what I had.  It is five months I wish I could take back.  Yet, it was the best thing that happened to us.  Why is that?  Because it took almost divorcing to teach us what it means to love like you mean it.

The Talmud says, “During the time of the darkest night, act as if the morning has already come.”   Act as if.   Buddha (one truly groovy dude) taught that the purpose of life was suffering and the end of suffering which to me means that when you feel like you're drowning, swim deeper than you’ve ever been willing to go.  That’s where you’ll find oxygen.

The opportunity for happiness is knocking on your door.  It's cold outside.  Let it in.

On Staying Positive

Positivity isn’t a term, it’s an attitude.  Gals like me are like tea bags... you never know how strong we are till you dip us in hot water.  I still have some internal demons but the day I started to think more positively my whole perception shifted.   Some days there is a lot of weight on my shoulders.  I juggle dealing with a difficult family relationship and criticism while paying the bills, doing the grocery shopping, picking up the kid, changing the oil, getting a cavity filled.  It can be hard staying positive while managing the demands of a busy life.  The planet doesn’t stop and wait for us to catch up so why should something beyond our control define us as anything other than the dynamic firecracker that we are?

I’m happy now, not when something outside of myself tells me I am . I can’t put my life on hold because of something not going my way.  To do that would be self abuse.  Plus, I am not going to give something beyond my contol that kind of power.   I have a lot of things to do!  Ultimately it just takes more energy for me to be negative.  Life is a terminal condition.  If I spend my precious days in anger and outrage I’ll miss the good stuff.

For me, it’s just easier to stay positive.  Negativity is exhausting and brings my entire vibration down.   Now that said, I am a human being and some days are tough as hell.  When they are, I sit with them, feel them, let them soak in and then maybe, just maybe, I am able to smile.  Isn’t it all just so silly sometimes?   If yoga is teaching me anything, it teaches me to go with it.  Some days you want to push against the current but perhaps on other days you can grab your pink inner tube and float along.

Remember this too, your only true belongings are your actions. Today my action was to choose to find the good, the uplifting and the love.  It’s all around me.  My dog just came over for a little pet.  Ahhh, a sign!