Something has to give....

Do you ever get the feeling that something is just not right and then you convince yourself to carry on along the same path regardless? Yes I have many times, but seem to be doing it alot less these days.....Except for just recently. I decided to take on 3 units of Uni this term, I have changed to study on-line instead of face to face. When I received my work, I felt it, that gut squirming kind of feeling that says NO this is way too much for you right now, it was actually very clear and I had a good month to choose to defer some subjects without penalty. Did I do what I knew I should deep down....of course not! I began to reason with myself that it's actually not that much work and can be fitted in comfortably around my already busy life, yep it would be no problem! Ok, now its 6 weeks down the track, I have just received my results back for my first assignment task and grim reality set in....gulp! She said it read 'rushed' (she got that right!) and I knew I lost my track, got confused and was capable of work to a much higher standard. No, I'm not going to beat myself up, I'm going to regroup and refocus. Its too late now to go back. This lecturers comments actually helped me snap back into reality yet in a gentle kind of way. She said she kept rereading it wanting to give me a higher mark but alas......Thank you, thats all I can say. I choose now not to rush and cram my life. To listen to what I know so maybe next time I will.

The truth about milk

Hello everyone, it's been a while as I have been super busy (happily of course!) I just wanted to share with you a site I stumbled over the other day talking about milk. I found it very interesting. I have been dairy free for quite a while now and I have to say have no craving for it at all now. I was once a die-hard cheese fan believe me. Anyway I hope you find this read interesting.......http://chrysalisyog.homestead.com/milk.html

Caffeine and Sugar Gods

For quite a few months now I have been following a gluten and dairy free way of eating, not due to any obvious intolerance's but simply because I was sick of feeling generally sluggish and run-down. I also stopped drinking coffee, tea, in fact any form of caffeine. This was a major wake up call for me. Without the coffee, refined and simple sugars, (which by the way are found in all grains, corn, potatoes and many fruits like mango,) to peep me up and cause me to feel artificially stimulated, I became aware of just how exhausted I truly was. Ask yourself, do you need coffee and complex sugars just to get through a normal day? What does this say about the current state of your system if this is needed? What does this say about the kind of life we are living? Is it really worth it to compromise our health to this point? Look around, caffeine and sugar consumption has gone through the roof over the past few years. Imagine for a minute if caffeine and sugar suddenly became unattainable, the truth of where we all are at health-wise would become blatantly obvious. Exhausted! I have also removed alcohol from my diet completely. I became aware I was simply using it to numb out or 'relax' which is just another way to not feel what I am truly feeling.

So I decided to become true to me and my body instead of the way the world told me I should be. I simply slowed down, I honour the fact if I was feeling tired, angry or sad, instead of burying those emotions back into my body. I say no to things. I go to bed early. I am letting go of old ideals and beliefs that I realise are not serving me. I give myself space and time. And most of all, I listen to my body, which as Plato said, 'Is the marker of all truth'. Ok, so I'm not perfect and am still finding my way but I am feeling so much more clearer and balanced, more true energy, in fact more 'myself' than I have felt for a very long time.

Making time for what's important....

Today I made time to go and see my son perform his Christmas performance at school, he is just about to finish Kindergarten and I am beginning to become aware of really how precious and fleeting these times are. My eldest is turning 14 in March, she's no little girl anymore, where did that time go? I was promted to reflect on these fleeting times when I watched "The gift of an ordinary day" which is an insightful account of how one mother moved through those times and her perception of the 'specialness' in the 'ordinaryness'. It has helped me realise it's those simple precious moments which can perhaps be the most treasured.

Gluten Free Goodness!

Today I have finally made the leap! I am attempting to bake a 'gluten & dairy free' cake, yep I've tried it before but it was a dismal, crumbly failure. I then stumbled across this site 'Gluten Free Goddess' and decided to try Frosted Banana spice cake which is baking in the oven as I write. One small problem.....I forgot to add the Xanthan Gum which is the vital ingredient in gluten free baking ensuring "added structure to the bread and so the dough will rise and also helps improve the structure of cakes and scones"........um whoops. Oh well I'll let you know how it goes in about 15 more minutes......smells pretty good I must say.

Ok so final verdict is you do require Xanthan Gum for a successful outcome, we had to resort to using bowls (with the added bonus of chocolate soy icecream) but the taste omg, so sweet, fruity, rich and moist! My five year old who is none the wiser about all this gluten free jazz absolutely loved it, so did my eldest daughter.....so its a thumbs up for this receipe, just don't forget the xanthan gum.....

The beginnings of my very humble Vege and Herb patch!

Ok, so I don't have that much space to work with (1.5m x 2.5m) but what I do have I want to make the most of! I have planted some basil, coriander and rocket. In the next spot is some coloured spinach, then Lebanese cucumber and yellow capsicum. I also dotted some Marigolds around to deter pests and for some colour. I also noticed this morning some tomato seedlings that planted themselves, so I left a few to grow. In the pots is rosemary, Thai basil, mint, parsley, thyme and a chili plant. These pots have been attacked recently by Indian Myna birds, that have been a real pest around our place lately. Would love to know how to get rid of them - ethically if possible! Anyway will update the progress of my little garden in time....

Some new Marigolds after my last one's mysteriously disappeared out of the ground!

I also potted some yummy Mustard and Cress

Hopefully in a few short weeks this patch will be bursting with green...

The Spending Monster Within....

Ok, I feel the need to explain myself.....when I said 'budget conscious' and 'frugal' I didn't mean shopping for 20kg sacks of flour and rice once a year, making all my children's clothes, never using deodorant and cosmetics again. You see I'm an old free 'n easy spender from way back with a very relaxed attitude about it. The truth is I was spending unconsciously, almost driven by some underlying urges beyond my control which I could forever justify. Well, I have now chosen to take a stand, a conscious stand against the feverishly hungry spending monster within. You see nothing would satisfy it for long. Now I know this sounds kind of extreme and well, maybe it is but I find it difficult to explain it any other way. I am now making a choice to become a conscious shopper. I am for the first time, actually recording everything I spend, which I am finding very empowering, I am actually loving the feeling of control it's giving me. I am feeling great about saying 'No' to stuff I know we don't need. I am enjoying feeling happy and satisfied with less, appreciating the things I have and focusing on what really matters to me, my family, their happiness, their health and that of my own.... I'm also starting to realise money isn't all it's cracked up to be. So no, it's not about being the perfect little greeny, although I am all for it, it's about being realistic in terms of me and my journey.