monday musings: life's simple secrets

Monday is the day I veer off topic and write about something other than wholefood...

I had coffee yesterday with a friend I hadn't seen in a long while (yes I still drink coffee from time to time. soy milk too! that's a whole other post). It was so good to see her, so good to have a full conversation without our beautiful 5 children around. We covered the usual suspects: our kids, our husbands, creative dreams + projects, yoga, wholefood, junk food, ipads, santa, farmer's markets, naturopaths, doctors, life out of the city...

It is so nourishing to step out from the demands of family life and just be, this is obvious to say but sometimes it doesn't always feel possible or easy to do. Carving this time out for yourself when you're a mum is an art but one that becomes easier with practice. Something I've had to change is to actually speak up more and tell my darling husband what it is I want to do.

For my whole motherhood journey (actually make that for my whole life) I have felt that I have had to be supremely capable and that asking for help was admitting defeat. Crazy I know, but slowly slowly I have come to realise that that habit doesn't serve me or the people around me. By asking for help I give someone else the opportunity to step in rather than me being so fiercely self-reliant which makes no sense when you have perfectly willing and capable husband (aunts, grandmother, mother-in-law, friends) standing by like I do!

Last week I started meditating again after a long break. Ten minutes a day is my goal. Ten minutes a day won't see me rivalling the Dalai Lama for enlightenment anytime soon but I know it will bring some much needed clarity to my over-active mind and it is in stillness that the biggest insights arrive. Well, that's my experience anyway.

So while the Dalai Lama remains in an enlightened league of his own, little old me would like share with you today some of life's simple secrets that we all know but sometimes elude us. I am hoping that this list will serve as reminder to you if you are feeling a bit off track at the moment and as an affirmation if you are feeling perfectly placed.

To be vital, peaceful, joyful, creative, loving beings it serves us well to...

Meditate
Give thanks
Breathe fresh air
Move your body everyday
Give thanks
Spend time in nature. Often.
Walk barefoot. Today.
Give thanks
Drink filtered water
Eat real food
Give thanks
Reflect
Journal
Give thanks
Know that you are enough
Meditate some more
Give thanks
Dance
Draw
Give thanks
Have faith + courage
Laugh
Give thanks
Sing
Paint
Give thanks
Listen to your body
Be kind to yourself
Give thanks
Repeat

What would you add to this list? Tell us in the comments...

monday musings - on food + money part 2

Monday is the day I veer off topic and muse about something other than wholefood...

Last monday I posted about the link between dieting and budgeting and made the point that no one really likes doing either of those things but everyone wants to feel great in their skin and be excited to open their bank statement. Yes I said excited to open their bank statement.

How did you go keeping your food or spending diary? did you find it helpful? eye opening? keep going with it, doing it for a month gives a good picture of your eating or earning/spending habits and then with awareness that's where you can begin to make changes.

So today I promised some more tips and tools for making changes in these two important areas of your life.

1. Make peace with your past. We can't change the past but the problem is that you may still be carrying emotional baggage from your past that is weighting you down and/or keeping you broke. Releasing the emotions associated with your food or money past is essential for healing and freeing you up to tread a new path. You can try doing this by yourself, writing in a journal or sitting in meditation and seeing what feelings come up or you can find a counsellor to do this work with one who can support and guide you. When I have been to see a counsellor I have always found one by asking friends for recommendations - better to have someone who is tried and tested! I am a fan of breath and bodywork, this sort of work taps into the stored feelings we have in our bodies it works on a deeper level than just talking. You can read more about this sort of work here.

2. Ask for help. This is not an easy thing for every person to do - I am terrible at it! I have an overwhelming desire to be able to everything myself - perfectly! Totally ridiculous behaviour but it is one of my life lessons that I must remind myself not to expect that I can master every single aspect of my life on the first go. I have my darling mother to thank for this trait because this is what she modelled to me when I was growing up and I see now that it did not serve her well either. I was talking to a wise friend about this one day and my friend asked, 'what did you want your mum to do differently?' I thought about it and said 'I wished she had of asked for help'. And that was an answer not only for my mum but for me. And perhaps for you?

It is ok not to know where to start or how to move forward, if you take a moment to consider the people in your life who can help you with some skills to feel good in your skin or flourish with your finances pluck up the courage and ask them. I am learning that people love to help, it makes them feel good too and if you are feeling embarrassed about asking or fearful that they will say no be brave and ask anyway otherwise you will stay stuck. If they say no they weren't the right person to help, ask someone else. I remind myself when I need to - 'you can rest, but never give up'.

Some recommended reading...

I am currently reading Kate Northrup's Money A Love Story, it is excellent because it is not a personal finance book it is all about facing up to and healing the relationship women have with their money. Written in an engaging style with exercises to complete in each chapter.

When I'm not reading Kate's book I am reading Marianne Williamson's latest beautiful book The Law of Divine Compensation - On Work, Money and Miracles. This is not light reading folks, it is the sort of book that you read a page and take a while to let it sink in. Marianne's writing is so dense with information that one page a day is biting off enough to chew for a while.

A book recommended to me many years ago was Dr Susan Taylor's Sexual Radiance 21 day program for vitality and sensuality. This is another excellent book, it encompasses nutrition, exercise and breathwork and while the focus is not purely weight loss the program is all about optimising your metabolism and once you've done that weight loss will follow.

For more tips on weight loss read this post I wrote last year.

I hope that is helpful to you in some way. Tomorrow I'll be sharing photos and stories from my day at Sustain organic expo. Thanks for reading and if you feel like sharing some tips or thoughts in the comments go right ahead I love hearing from you x

**I am not a doctor or a financial counsellor. Please seek professional advice if you need to.

monday musings: on food + money - part 1

Monday is the day I veer off topic and muse about something other than wholefood...

It occurred to me recently that dieting and budgeting have a lot in common. For instance, many people find both dieting and budgeting difficult and arduous because in their minds both of these concepts scream: restriction, sacrifice, deprivation and missing out.

The irony is, the aim of dieting is a healthy body weight and the aim of budgeting is a healthy bank balance and the truth is we can have neither of these things without making some changes to current behaviours and habits. It is by trying to make these changes purely by willpower that most people fall short.

As Albert Einstein said, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result".

So if you're battling with your weight and finances and you want to break the cycle of going on a diet or starting a budget and breaking them, I have the answer. It's an inside job: inside your head and heart.

First step is to change your mind - this may involve a bit of trickery. By steering away from the words diet and budget you can remove the emotional connections you have with these words from your past.

You are not going on a diet and you are not sticking to a budget (breathe sigh of relief). Forget bathroom scales and calculators, personal finance books, lists of foods to eat and not to eat there is another way.

We women are emotional, no point pretending we're not or feeling bad about our sensitivities and being in tune with our emotions, it can be used as a strength not a weakness. Therefore in transforming our relationship to food and money we must first consider our emotional connection and come from a place of love: not guilt, blame, shame and regret.

How do we transform this relationship?

Well it is so ridiculously simple that I won't be surprised if you don't believe me when I tell you.

We do this by breathing. By bringing our awareness regularly back to our breathing, we become conscious of the moment, otherwise known as being mindful.

So instead of dieting, become lovingly mindful about what you are eating, how often you are moving your body and instead of budgeting become lovingly mindful of what you are earning, spending and investing.

I can hear your scepticism. But truly by moving your emotional state from one of guilt, blame, shame, fear and regret to one of self-acceptance, love and positivity miracles will happen, your life will change. It sounds a bit airy fairy I know but just give it a go you have absolutely nothing to lose - except maybe those last 5 kilos!

Now of course we all know 'magic' doesn't just happen all by itself, it does require action. To get you started, choose which is the most emotionally charged for you at the moment or the one you would like to change the most - your relationship with food or your relationship with money.

For the next week keep a journal of the food you eat (include details of where you were, who you were with and how you were feeling before and after), or of the money that you earn and spend, every single dollar - a coffee here, a magazine there, an op shop find no amount is too small. Do this exercise with loving mindfulness - no shaming yourself, no guilt, just noticing and note taking.

Next monday I will add some more tools to your kit and before you know it you will be on your way to where you want to be without dieting or budgeting. Good huh?

If this made sense to you and you think a friend would like it too please share using the share buttons below. And leave your comments I love hearing from you.

monday musings: on making time to look after you

Monday is the day I veer off topic and muse about something other than wholefood...

It is an age old story we are so busy taking care of everyone else that our needs fall to the bottom of the washing basket. Well, as the safety card on aeroplanes advise when traveling with children place your oxygen mask on first. After all we are no good to our children if we are struggling to breathe ditto if we are not caring for our spiritual, emotional and creative selves.

Today I've written a check list for you. Read through it and see what jumps out at you along with the thought 'I've been meaning to do that for a while'. Then commit to doing it. You are just as important as everyone else.

Some things on the list you may have on your 'want' list rather than your 'need' list but if it has been over 6 months since you nurtured yourself with something on your want list then make it happen for yourself. If a tight budget is holding you back it is time to get creative, sell something on ebay, have a garage sale, do an exchange with a friend, set up that Etsy shop you've been thinking about.

Here's the list. It is a mixed bag but I am sure you will find a few things on it that yell pick me pick me!...

*dental check up
*pap smear
*medical check up (I have a blood test every year to check my cholesterol, triglycerides, iron levels etc; I do this mainly because my mum died at 44 of a heart attack and it gives me peace of mind to know everything is as it should be. If you have a health issue you are avoiding dealing with don't put it off)
*skin check up (for moles, freckles etc;)
*chiropractic adjustment
*haircut
*facial
*manicure
*pedicure
*massage
*tax return
*consolidate superannuation funds
*heal your money woes by reading Kate Northrup's book Money: A Love Story
*look into a course you want to study
*do something creative just for fun
*exercise - yoga, skipping rope, bike riding, walking, swimming, exercise dvd, running, dancing there are plenty of ways to exercise that don't much or anything and if you have toddlers and can't get to the gym or a class, exercise at home or invite a friend over and tag team going for a walk or run while one minds the children. Go on make the effort you will feel so good, more energy and mental clarity. Nicole from Planning with Kids fits in one hour of exercise per day and she has 5 young children! You might not want to go to that level but if you do here are her tips for finding time to exercise.
*see a counsellor if you have an emotional issue that is weighing you down and you can't resolve by yourself
*psychic reading
*astrology chart reading
*Read Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way to discover or reconnect with your creative heart
*create an altar to nourish your spirit, on a shelf, on top of a set of drawers you don't need much space just somewhere that is dedicated to you. Decorate it however you wish: special fabric laid down, fresh flowers, a candle, some crystals, oracle cards, whatever is meaningful to you. Then tend to it daily, light the candle, arrange the flowers, take a moment just to breathe and be in the space that is just for you.
*update your wardrobe - this doesn't mean go on a spending spree. This means going through your wardrobe and getting rid of anything that is shabby or doesn't make you feel great to wear. Once you have done that you will be in a better place to see what you might actually need for the season ahead. For more tips on doing this on a budget go here.
*find your happy weight. If you are carrying weight that you would like to lose then definitely get moving with some exercise and I recommend Cyndi O'Maera's 21 day weightloss ebook (I am not an affiliate for this ebook, though I should be! I highly recommend it for getting yourself back on balanced way of eating)
*meditate. even 10 minutes each day will make a big difference to your mental clarity and well-being.
*go on a date. If you are in a relationship it is often underestimated the difference spending some time together without your children can make. And if you are not in a relationship go on a date with yourself, do something that you truly love or catch up with a friend without children, you deserve some time just for you.
*weekend away with your partner or with some friends. I am yet to do this but I am working up to it some time soon!

While thinking about self-care, self-love the following words came to me...

Accept yourself
Believe in yourself
Love yourself
Be kind to yourself
Empower yourself
Ask for help when you need it

After all, isn't that what we want for our children?

I am celebrating today the work that we all do as mothers, each and every day. And I also want to acknowledge all the women for who becoming a mum hasn't been easy or possible, nurture your precious hearts in every way possible.

Nikki x

monday musings: on buying a new camera

Monday is the day I veer off topic and muse about something other than wholefood...

Ever since I was a child I have loved taking photos. At about age nine I was given my first camera, a red hanimex slimline instamatic. I then graduated to an automatic point and shoot zoom lens Pentax which saw me through my teens. In my early twenties my dad sent me a birthday gift my first SLR, made by Minolta. I loved the feel of this camera, it felt like a real camera and I felt like a real photographer. I had that camera for about ten years before it jammed up and stopped working. I'm grateful to have taken photos of River as a baby on real black and white film using the Minolta. Once that camera was broken, it was time for me to enter the world of digital photography.

Fortunately Pete, my professional photographer husbo, did the camera shopping for me. The guys at the camera shop Pete regularly deals with for his work sold him a basic Canon Ixus point and shoot number quite a step down in size from my Minolta SLR but a very simple way to step into digital. Fast forward seven years and on this last trip to Byron I managed to get sand inside the Canon and the lens jammed. "Sand is the worst", were the words of the assistant at the camera repair shop, "$60 just to look at it. At least $200 if you need a new lens".

The best part about a camera breaking are the upgrade possibilities. Fortunately the expense part was covered by some gifted birthday money - good timing!

That was a very long introduction to my guide for buying a new camera...

1. Consider what you need your camera for, and your level of interest in learning about photography.
In my case I need a camera to take photos for my blog and to photograph my children. Yes a point and shoot would suffice (in fact many people get by nowadays using their mobile phone camera) but I am ready to immerse myself back into understanding a bit more about the art of photography and want a camera that allows me to switch from auto to manual exposure. This means having control over shutter speed, aperture and ISO.

2. Ask some friends for their recommendations both for camera make and model and for where to buy.
I had it in my mind that an SLR was definitely what I wanted but after talking to Pete and another professional photographer friend I decided I really didn't need to spend a heap of money to get a camera that would give me quality shots and some creative freedom. As my photographer friend pointed out "You pay a lot of money to make that little mirror go up and down", he has a point!

I was considering the most basic Canon SLR EOS 1100D and I asked Jay where she had recently purchased her camera. Jay gave me some great advice and that was that the lens that comes with a 'kit' camera is often not that great so it can be best to buy the body and lens separately, and directed me to e-global digital cameras.

I also asked Jodi what type of camera she uses, Jodi loves her camera and highly recommended the Panasonic gf1 with 20mm 1.7 lens. It was while researching the gf1 that I learnt about bridge cameras. For those like me who have no idea what a bridge camera is, basically it is a camera that is not an SLR but offers more capabilities than a point and shoot camera meaning you have the option to have control over exposure and on some bridge cameras you have the option to change lenses. Here is a buying guide to bridge cameras.

This led me to think that Pete and my other photographer friend were right that I probably didn't really need an SLR camera so after a bit more searching online I decided that before any purchasing happened I needed to actually hold some of the cameras I was considering so I headed off to Ted's cameras and got some old-fashioned face to face customer service. Some very good customer service I might add! This helped me to narrow my options down and I was choosing between a Canon Powershot SX 510 and a Fuji Finepix S4000.

More trawling on the internet followed and this is potentially where I have made a mistake. I stumbled upon a site with cameras at prices that well, seemed too good to be true. I ordered a Fuji Finepix S4300 for $98...I placed the order 9 days ago and I haven't received the camera yet. I am sceptical because the day after I ordered the camera I received an email from the company saying that they had received my order but not my payment (my bank account showed payment was out of my account) and would I like to cancel my order or when would I be sending payment? Hmmm. I emailed and let them know that payment had been sent but perhaps we needed to allow another 24 hours before it hit their bank account. Mid last week they confirmed payment had been received and that I would receive a tracking number and my camera would be on the way. I haven't received the tracking number, the camera nor a reply to my email asking where the tracking number is. And there is no phone number on their website. So friends watch this space!

3. Purchase the camera from a reputable dealer or one that at least has a phone number on their website.

--------------------

I hate to think I have been had so I am holding out hope that my camera will arrive. I am counting my golden dollars that I decided not to spend $500 or more on an SLR. I hope there is something useful within this long post for those of you who are looking to buy a new camera. Good luck and please share your camera buying stories in the comments, it is a fairly overwhelming task sifting through so many options!

monday musings: on birthday party lolly bags

What is it with lolly bags?! Kids love them, parents loathe them. Well most parents! Before we unpack the contents of those sweet little bags let's consider why they are given...habit? tradition? because it is expected? as a thank you? Possibly a little bit of each reason. But surely there are other ways to say thank you and if you like the lolly tradition surely the bags don't have to be so big and full. Personally I love it when no lolly bags are handed out, it is rare but it does happen.

On Sunday our boys River and Sol were invited to a fourth birthday party, the son of a close friend. My husband Pete phoned our friend and asked in his usual direct manner, "Will you be handing out bags of poison at the party today?" The answer as expected was "Yes". "I'd prefer River and Sol didn't get one, can you give them something else?" A box of sultanas was the agreed alternative.

Now this is where Pete and I disagree. Sultanas are still 'sugary', they are a concentrated form of fructose and lolly bags are the absolute only time that River and Sol ever see lollies, we never buy them. Ever. Not even their sweet loving grandparents are allowed to supply them with lollies. So, I wouldn't have actually minded if they were given the lolly bags and then I could have rationed out the contents.

River overheard the conversation Pete had with our friend. Tears ensued, "You are so mean dad. That is so unfair, all the other kids get lollies and we get sultanas". "I'm not doing it to be mean," Pete tried to explain, "I'm doing it because I care about you and don't want you to eat all that sugar". That is not how it felt to seven year old River.

The boys and I went to the party and Pete went off to photograph a wedding. I was dreading the end of the party before we had even arrived. At the party, two tables were set with chicken sandwiches, zucchini slice, fruit salad and sausage rolls - not a piece of sugary food in sight.

The children ran about and played in the sun while the adults stood by chatting. "How do you handle the lolly bag thing?" I asked one mum. "I take them off my children straight after the party, they can eat a couple of lollies and then I keep the bags in a cupboard and when they forget about them I throw them out," she told me.

Time for the pinata. It was a cleverly designed pinata, no stick and blindfold instead there was an array of ribbons hanging from the bottom looking like streamers, each child took it in turns to pull one ribbon until 'jackpot!' the bottom fell out and so did the lollies. There was a scramble as handfuls of lolly snakes, jubes, jelly babies and mini chocolate bars were grabbed and later shared with smaller children who were not as experienced being in a pinata lolly scrum.

Next up were the cakes. Yes plural. There were two birthday cakes plus cupcakes. Sol true to form ate the icing off the top and gave me the plain cake. River skipped having cake and opted to get back to running around with his friends.

Fifteen minutes before the party was due to end a friend came running up to me beaming, "Yes! I've got them out (her two children) without lolly bags we're leaving now and they haven't even asked for them. Bye!" It was as if she had achieved a minor miracle. I was uncharacteristically jealous.

We stayed for a game of pass the parcel. Our departure could not be delayed any longer. The sighting by River and Sol of other children with lolly bags was inevitable. "Mum can we have a lolly bag?" they asked. "C'mon let's go I have your lolly bags" I replied. We starting heading for the door, after a bit more asking I handed over their custom filled 'lolly' bags. Outside the party venue River asked his friend is he could see  inside his bag, his friend had lollies, River had a box of sultanas and a packet of sesame snaps (very sweet honey sesame 'biscuits). I haven't worked it out exactly but I am sure the sugar content of both bags would have been on par.

After some sulking River got in the car and we headed home. "Dad's mean", he uttered a few times. I reminded both River and Sol about the lollies they had eaten out of the pinata. Neither of them ate the sultanas, River took one bit of the sesame snap and decided he didn't like it, Sol didn't even want to try it.

I feel like banning lollies makes them more attractive and I don't really think a bag of sultanas is all that much better. Having said that, River and Sol ate lollies at the party and didn't need a bag of them to take home and didn't eat the sultanas anyway.

I'd love it if we could all take a united front and skip handing out lollies at the end of a party. One great idea I heard was a party where children were given a punnet of strawberry seedlings to take home to plant. Now that's my kind of party.

What are your thoughts? Am I being a party pooper? Or are you over the lolly fest too? Love to hear how you handle kids birthday party lolly bags in your family. Share in the comments.

monday musings: on gratitude

There was a time in my twenties where I didn't really know which way was up and couldn't see the way out of how I was feeling. During this time I was house sitting for a friend and found a book on her shelf that helped to turn those feelings around. Sarah Ban Breathnach's book Simple Abundance showed me the way forward, starting with the simple practice of giving thanks. Reflecting on what I was grateful for in my life was such a potent exercise, in moments it transformed how I felt: from overwhelmed to calm. I continue this reflection daily, just before I go to sleep I take a few moments to be grateful.

Believe it or not being grateful relates to raising happy healthy eaters. Before dinner each night at our table we say a blessing on our meal, giving thanks to the people who grew the vegetables or thanks to the fish who gave their lives, it changes each night and we take it in turns at saying the blessing. We are not of a particular religious faith and I don't believe you have to be to give thanks for your meal. To me it teaches children to be grateful for the food they have in front of them and gives them a connection to the bigger picture of how the food came to be on the table. Our meal blessing ritual began when River was at Steiner playgroup and learnt this song that the class sang before they had their morning tea:

Blessing on the blossom
Blessing on the fruit
Blessing on the leaf and stem
and blessing on the root
and blessing on our meal

We still sing this song from time to time, I love the connection to nature that it evokes.

We live in times where expectations can easily run high. Children, teenagers, adults often expect that they can have what they want, when they want it with little grace shown for what they already have in their lives. Showing children how to be grateful, how to live with grace is more powerful than telling them, 'you should be grateful for that meal'.

Natalie and many other bloggers dedicate some of their posts each week to being grateful by joining in with the 52 weeks of grateful project.

Are you feeling grateful? Or tired and struggling, wondering where grace has gone? And what about teaching your children to be grateful, how are you going with that? Love to hear in the comments.

monday musings: on what to eat

Deciding what to eat and what to feed your family for optimal nutrition AND pleasure is no easy feat in these modern times of fake food, misleading marketing and information overload.

Thanks to easy access to research and opinions that conflict and contradict one another we are all highly likely to make food choices we thought were nourishing, or follow a particular way of eating - paleo, vegan, no sugar, to name a few - only to discover a piece of information, or experience an adverse reaction to our chosen path that causes us to change our ways and beliefs.

A couple of ingredients I have gone down this path with are stevia and Bragg's Liquid Aminos. After doing a 3 month medically supervised detox - no wheat, dairy, sugar, salt, caffeine, dairy or alcohol - I jumped on the stevia train and tried to tell myself I liked it. I baked with the powdered version, in the end I had to admit to myself I didn't like the taste or texture it gave to cakes or biscuits. Similar experience with agave. My preferred sweeteners for baking now are maple syrup, honey and occasionally when I bake something that calls for sugar I use rapadura or coconut palm sugar.

We started using Bragg's Liquid Aminos after Dr. Gruba who we did the detox with recommended it as an alternative to salt. From the outset I wasn't mad about the flavour and the more I thought about it the more I thought about how highly processed it would have to be to go from a soy bean to a salty tasting liquid state! Not to mention the food miles coming from America and the plastic packaging. I started doing some research on the net and came across some highly emotive opinions about why not to eat Bragg's and some other more balanced voices too. In the end I decided to trust my instinct and have opted for decent sea salt used wisely is a much better choice.

As for deciding upon a 'style' of eating I've never been a fan of all or nothing approaches such as the quit sugar movement. I agree that over-eating refined white foods is not nourishing and can have a detrimental effect on long term health but I think that all or nothing diets such as the no sugar one, or no carbs, or no cooked food (100% raw) can come with a lot of hype that needs to be analysed. All or nothing diets can cause people to feel like failures if they can't stick with what they set out to do, this sense of failure can affect self-esteem and body image especially if weight loss was an initial goal. What I do think is good about the work that people such as Sarah Wilson and David Gillespie are doing is that they are raising awareness about things like hidden sugars and encouraging people to eat real food over processed food that is great! The highly emotive language that surrounds their message is a bit alienating to me.

Discovering and staying connected to what is nourishing, energising and satisfying for each of us, as unique beings is the aim. And the challenge.

What can we do to decide with confidence the best foods for ourselves and our family?

I've written some guidelines here based on my experience, research and dare I say good old-fashioned common sense! I hope they are useful. I am not a scientist, doctor or nutritionist if you are unwell please consult a qualified health practitioner, but even then listen to what they have to say with an open mind and if it doesn't feel right to you consult another and compare opinions. It can get confusing but just because someone has a qualification doesn't necessarily mean they are the practitioner for you. I would love for you to share your experiences and thoughts on this topic.

A guide for eating well

Trust Mother Nature: organically grown foods from the earth are real, your body will recognise this and soak up the nutrients.

Stick to what is local and seasonal. Consider those food miles.

Whatever you can afford to buy organic do.

If a particular way of eating is promising you the world - more energy, optimum health, ideal body weight, anti-aging and so on. Be curious AND skeptical. Look beyond the hype! Ask yourself is this way of eating sustainable for me and my family in the long term? Or is it more of a short term detox?

Read the fineprint on packaging always. Packaging can be decorated with many 'health' claims that are outweighed by the sugar, salt or trans fat content of a product. These 'health' foods can even be endorsed by high profile health organisations such as the Heart Foundation. Even if a food product claims to be healthy it is still important to always read the ingredients.

When researching, consider the source. Does the person writing or speaking have a vested interest in what they are promoting?

Trust your intuition and judgement, if an ingredient, way of eating, or recommendation from a health practitioner either in the media or one you meet in person genuinely doesn't feel right for you then go with your gut feeling and check out other options.

Useful resources:

I am a fan of Sally Fallon's book Nourishing Traditions. Although, I have to say I don't think it is necessarily the best book for beginners to wholefoods because there is so much information it could easily be overwhelming.

I think that Jude Blereau brings a great voice of reason and wisdom to this topic, in particular I highly recommend two of her books Coming Home to Eat and Wholefood for Children.

A few blogs I love for their recipes and their grounded approach to this 'what to eat?' conundrum are:

Natalie's blog The Little Gnomes Home, visit her facebook page Digestible Kitchen.

Vanessa's blog Slow Heart Sing, Vanessa's facebook page is here.

Meg's blog My Wholefood Romance, facebook page here.

Nutritionist and chef extraordinaire Samantha Gowing's blog Bitter Sweet Sour.

Sonia at Natural New Age Mum, facebook here.

Kristin at Mamacino, facebook here.

**update: My clever friend Renee McCready is a natural medicine practitioner with a balanced approach and just happens to be an incredible creator of scrumptious raw food deliciousness minus the dogma! Find Renee's recipes on her facebook page or in her ebook.

Via Natalie I have found Emma The Nutrition Coach's blog to be really thought provoking, providing great detail and information. From what I understand from Emma's blog her focus is on an individual's metabolism and digestion taking into account hormonal balance and thyroid function, from what I've read this approach makes sense to me.

I'm sure I have left some other places I visit off this list, if I have let me know in the comments, leave a link to your site or favorites.

We all need help and support in making the best food choices for ourselves and our families and although information on the internet can be bewildering it is also a fantastic place for sharing great information and inspiration.

Thanks for reading xx

apologies for no photo today my camera has a grain of sand wedged in the lens and won't open and getting photos off my new phone is proving to be technologically challenging for me! photos again soon.

monday musings: on parenting

Its true children don’t come with their own personal instruction book explaining how to raise them. No, parenting is very much a learning by doing experience. I’m sure that sometimes children wished their parents came with instruction books too!

From the moment River was born I felt simultaneously in bliss and over-awed, in bliss that this precious little being was ours to love and nurture, and over-awed by the responsibility to ‘get it right’. By get it right I mean parent him to be the best that he can be.

River turned seven a few weeks ago (we celebrated with sushi see above and a bonfire), and I can feel and see the shift in him from childhood to boyhood. I watch him taking the world in, soaking up every nuance of life and the people around him. He is hungry. Hungry to learn, hungry for life. At the end of this next seven year cycle River will be fourteen and heading into the heart of his adolescence. I am conscious of giving him every opportunity, now, at this age, to grow in his confidence and capabilities.

As each birthday comes around for my children I find myself reflecting on the ways they’ve grown and how Pete and I have grown in our parenting. Or not grown. Its a good time to be mindful about what needs some work.

Over-thinking things is something I've done too often in the past, including how to parent. I’ve learned to let that go and found a happy place of being mindful rather than overwrought with analytical thinking that leads to second guessing myself.

I approach parenting with the adage ‘begin with the end in mind’, that is, think about the men and women you’d like your children to become and lay the foundations from birth. Pete and I want our boys to have respect for themselves, for others and for the world they live in. We are raising them to use their initiative and to realise from a young age that they are part of a bigger picture and that starts with contributing in our home.

I look around at the young men and women I know and am curious about how they have been parented, I ask their parents for tips and advice and file them away ready to put into practice.

The biggest obstacles I see on the path of parents and their children in these times are technology, fake food, and added to that for teenagers is the alcohol culture that has become an unfortunate excuse for a rite of passage. How to deal with these obstacles are posts for another day.

At this moment, in this season of my parenting I am filled with joy watching my boy’s personalities and passions unfold. River the actor, fisherman, surfer, guitarist, such a social being, always asking ‘what I have to eat mum?’ Sol the artist, painting daily is his meditation, colour and drawing held his attention from a young age, lost in imaginary play, boundless energy from the moment his eyes pop open, such physical strength, in awe of his big brother.

I am also challenged and tired by hearing ‘no!’ from them and when they squabble and whine.

Above all, I am beyond grateful. Grateful for the opportunity to parent these boys and to do so with Pete who is a wonderful father, who is fully present in every sense of the word. The three of them challenge me to grow, to be the best I can and to dig deeper. Even when I feel exhausted, thinking I can dig no more, I find more and I thank them for that.

Where are you at with parenting? Share your tips and experiences in the comments...

monday musings: a beautiful science

(this beautiful photo is taken by my husband Pete)

A couple of months ago after dinner I headed out leaving my boys at home for a 'men's night' as they call it with their Dad. I stopped in at a local cafe and bought a cup of tea to takeaway, then headed up the road and settled in at the community centre to hear Saraswathi Vasudevan speak about yoga therapy.

I took my seat in the candlelit room and about 60 of us sat in meditation, something I hadn't done in a long while. It only took about three conscious breaths to feel soothed and refreshed. Why don't I do this more often? Saras' closing words for the meditation "awaken to the reality of this moment" felt so powerful as they landed in my ears.

Saras had traveled from India to spend a couple of weeks in Australia, teaching in Sydney then on to the Peninsula presenting a two day workshop about yoga therapy. I considered attending the two day workshop but arranging care for River and Sol for two full days fell in the too hard basket but a couple of hours on Friday night I could do.

What is yoga therapy?

Yoga therapy is more than doing a yoga class. While certainly there are therapeutic benefits to doing your weekly yoga class, yoga therapy is a more individualised application of yoga that is used to treat an ailment or illness, be it physical or mental. Through asanas, breathwork, meditation, focus on diet and other life style factors yoga therapists works with individuals to improve health and well-being. The key difference between yoga therapy and western medicine is that yoga therapy considers the whole person not just the illness.

Saras posed the question, "Why are we here?" As the audience pondered the meaning and purpose of life Saras offered us an answer that to my mind was unexpected. "Pure enjoyment" she said and smiled. I say this answer was unexpected because to be alive for pure enjoyment sounds indulgent but of course that is not the path Saras was sending us down.

As we all pondered some more, Saras asked "Are you feeling whole and complete in this moment?" "Are there aspects of your life that you do not feel whole or complete?" I am yet to meet a person that feels whole and complete in every single aspect of their life. Sitting with these questions, Saras offered this "Discovering our wholeness and completeness we enter the path of yoga." She spoke of yoga as a tool to discover our true nature, "When we realise that 'I am not this body, this mind, all that I am fretting about' when we realise this we are in our true nature."

There were a number of people in the audience with an illness. One woman who had been an asthmatic all her life bravely spoke of her struggle to manage her asthma and asked "Why do I resist practicing yoga when it is something I love and helps me feel my best?" A common conundrum. We all know what we should do to look after ourselves but why is the doing so hard?

Saras encouraged us, "If we can quiet the mind, the path is clear we just need commitment and courage to follow it."

Saras explained that if we view illness as a way to find wholeness and completeness, the key is to find a way to be with it rather than fight it, it is not about removing symptoms it is about understanding.

She spoke of the relationship between teacher and student in yoga therapy as the teacher being like a midwife and that the student has to do the work with the support of the teacher. This relationship is clearly different to a traditional western doctor patient relationship that is most often played out in the roles of the patient being helpless in their healing and the doctor having the answers.

One of my favorite quotes from Saras that evening: "The most important tool we use is the breath because it bridges mind and body. Just as we vacuum our house, the breath vacuums our mind. The breath knows what to do in our body."

I was grateful for all I heard and felt in my one and half hour evening with Saras. As it turned out it was the perfect amount of time and food for thought for me. I walked back out into the night feeling like my cup was full without running over, two full days would have been an overload.

"At any point in time the support you require will come. Trust and follow." Saraswathi Vasudevan

monday musings: on being busy

I've decided that 'being busy' has become an overused easy excuse not a genuine reason. Have you noticed? For so many people their reply when you ask "How are you?" is "I'm so busy". Or "sorry I haven't been in touch I've been so busy".

Sometimes this is hard to swallow when you consider the number of communication mediums available to us, that sometimes it can be days before we reply to family and friends or receive a response. Because we are 'busy'.

I read once in a buddhist book (sorry I'm vague on title details it was a long time ago) that to the Eastern way of thinking Western busyness = laziness. And I have to agree this makes sense to me.

Maintaining a daily spiritual practice (whatever that means to you) and regular meaningful connection with friends and family are just two important parts of life that can suffer: because we are 'busy'. Too busy to exercise, too busy to eat well, sleep well, love well, live well. Something is wrong with this picture wouldn't you agree?

Sometimes when I talk to my wonderful nan on the phone and say we will come and visit some time soon, in her gracious way she says "see how you go. I know you are busy". Nan says this, not because I have told her I am busy but because she likes to make life easy for everyone and would never want me to feel pressure to come and visit (not that I ever do in the slightest it is always such a joy to see her). I tell her "I'm never too busy for you".

I do prefer to say and think that life is full because that is the way it feels in the best possible way. To my mind being busy has a bit of a negative connotation in that there may be stress accompanying the busyness.

I looked up the definition of busy -
busy adjective. having a great deal to do verb keep occupied.

Yep that's pretty much everyone.

From here on out I am being mindful of the 'b' word, intending not to overuse it and definitely won't be relying on it to make things ok for not getting back to friends and family when they phone, text or email.

What are your thoughts on being busy? Am I over-reacting, are my expectations too high or does the busy phenomenon bug you too? Do you know anyone who is not busy?

monday musings: on creativity

I dipped my toe in the water late last year beginning an occasional series on a monday venturing sideways from wholefood. It began with a post on blogging, then on birth and today the series returns with this post on creativity.

We are all creative beings. It is easy though for life to get in the way of exploring and nurturing our creative heart. Unfortunately it falls to the bottom of the priority list because making our art is often deemed self-indulgent or not as important as tending to washing, cooking, cleaning, relationships and so on. Yes all those things are important but when was the last time you set aside an hour to paint or write or sing for no other reason than to be creative? And not felt guilty about it.

Just hearing the word 'creative' or 'artistic' can make people recoil from it thinking "that's not me, I'm not creative and I'm definitely not artistic." Well I don't think that's true. It is so important to fill your creative cup so that you can rise the challenges and opportunities presented to you each day. If you nourish your creative heart you will find this lifts your energy and will overflow into all that has become mundane. There is opportunity to express and explore our artistry in everything we do from the way we dress to the way we cook.

Here's a story about my journey with creativity. Thirteen years ago I found myself stranded in Vancouver, Canada. I discovered many things about myself during this time and a book that became a friend was Julia Cameron's 'The Artist's Way'. I had traveled to Vancouver from Houston, Texas to renew my visa and re-enter America. Or so I thought that's what I was going to do. My visa application was denied. I spent a week in Vancouver before flying home to Australia, leaving a long time boyfriend in Texas. This was the end of our relationship and the beginning of a very big next chapter of my life including stepping deeper into my creativity, not only in my writing but also in various mediums as a way of getting to know myself better (which sounds corny when I read that but it's true!)

For those unfamiliar with Julia's book it is written as a 12 week course to 'discover and recover your creative self'. It's a wonderful book that will challenge and rattle any fixed beliefs you have about creativity and what you allow or don't allow yourself to do. For instance if you usually paint but think you might like to sing but don't consider yourself a singer, Julia encourages you to bringing singing into your day anyway. Julia provides great strategies to overcome obstacles to being creative, obstacle such as fear and the perception of having no time to tend to our creative longings.

I really believe that tapping into our creative well is a way of feeling fulfilled. If it is something you have let slide to the bottom of your list I hope this post inspires you to dive into your creative world or set about finding what makes your heart sing. The world could do with a little more colour and song.

Happy Monday :)

Share your story in the comments of finding your creative passion or if you're feeling stuck share that too, someone reading may have just the answer for you.