Warp speed

Why do I feel like I have somehow missed the last year? Where did all the time go? Its almost cold here (well in a couple more months we might need long pants for a few days). Orion is ALMOST 2!!! He is talking up a storm, and has become quite the ladies man. Leilani is 3 and a half and is simmering in all her "3-ness". It must be hard to be 3, you're not a baby, but you are not a big kid either. Its almost like adolescence, stuck in between. The days are very long right now, but the months are non-existent. I had wanted to slow things down, but it has been harder than expected.
We are all still eating a gluten free vegan diet over here, which has its pros and cons. All I want to eat right now is fall food, soup, stew, pasta, more soup. That doesn't vary much for my poor starving family. The kids are happy with almost anything (leilani has become fairly picky as of late), but at least she loves butternut squash soup. It has been such an overhaul for us, but I am loving the health that comes with it.
I can't wait to post pics of our family Halloween costumes! Leilani is going to be Sleeping Beauty and has requested that we (her royal court) attend to her. Russell shall be her Prince (but of course), I the Queen, and Orion the ferocious tiny dragon. Russ will even have HAIR for the day, how fabulous, what a sport! We love Halloween around here, although my kids know very little about candy, since they never get any. They eagerly await their daily vitamins, that's how much they know of candy. ;-) Halloween is more about the pretend than the candy (for now). We will offer a trade again this year for all of the candy loot.
I promise to keep up more with this poor blog, as soon as I can figure out how to slow time down. Pictures to come, I promise!

Summer vacation

Perhaps when its over 100 degrees for over 40 days in a row your brain starts to melt, and everything runs together. It seems as if the summer just started and here we are nearly the official school start. I have really slooooowed things down this summer, I even tried to put the brakes on my kids getting older, but alas they continue to sprout before my eyes.

Since I dramatically changed our families eating habits nearly 3 months ago, I guess I changed the way we lived along with it. I am really ok with the kids being 'bored', it means I am not over scheduling them. Although I haven't seen our playgroup friends as much as I would like, maybe when every body's schedules become more concrete in the fall we'll see them more often. If you haven't seen us in a while its because I am at Whole Foods or in the kitchen, or playing trucks with Orion while Leilani is at school.

The last few months have FLOWN by, and in a few weeks I go back to school again, how can that be? I even got a couple requests for work in Sept and October... are we really THAT close? yikes. It looks like I need to slow things down even more. Hmmm if only I could pause time.

We DID have some fun this summer, even if it was fast.

Leilani got to travel to North Carolina with Russell to visit Abuela and Grandpa Jim (Russell's parents). Orion and I got a quiet week together, which showed me just how much his world revolves around his sister. Leilani got to see beautiful waterfalls and head out on the lake for some fishing, fun fun fun.


Both of the kids took a week of swim lessons with "Dean" up at the Good Earth Day School pool. They loved the water, hopefully we can get them another lesson soon, keep those skills up!


And Russ and I just got back yesterday from Seattle. Our friend Traci married a great guy, Dale, on Saturday, but we took the opportunity to stay a few extra days to soak in the fantastic NW weather! (ok it was cloudy and drizzly, but it was in the 60's who could ask for a better break?!)

Russ was a great sport the entire trip. He's not much for the clouds, but I LOVE them! He even agreed to go on a guided boat tour in the fore casted rain, what a sweetheart. We traveled all over the city and even headed up the ride the ferry all around the San Juan islands, out to Friday Harbor and back. (We honeymooned in Friday Harbor 5 years ago) I ADORE Seattle. If the rest of my family would follow me, I'd move there in a heartbeat.




I found a cafe online (in a search for vegetarian restaurants) where we ate twice. The Flying Apron Bakery in Fremont is Vegan and gluten free, serving cafe lunches and baked goods. I had to stock up on baked goods for my next morning breakfasts too. It made me want to open a bakery just like it here in Austin, seriously. I MUST find a recipe for the maple berry layered cake they had, it was heavenly! They don't use any preserves in their food and almost everything in their store is organic, wahoo! With that restaurant and the fact we were a mile from a fantastic Whole Foods store, we had no trouble finding food to eat on our trip, whew!

Glad to be home, ready for the fall to come. I know I know, it won't be fall here until November, but I can't wait!

Wow! A month already?

It has officially passed the month mark on my adventure with eating vegan.... and we will continue. I am feeling fantastic! And Orion, sweet little Orion is flourishing! Russell is a good sport and really understands the "why?" of how we are eating. I am blessed to be married to someone who "gets" me and the way I think. And when he doesn't understand he is still patient and willing to go along for the ride. The food we've been eating has been full of flavor and fills our tummies! I have also started drinking Kombucha as it has enormous digestive benefits. I promised Russell I would only try it for 2 weeks (by the $3.59 bottle) and if I wanted to continue I'd start making my own, wahoo! So far, so good! I'll have to update again if things start to change, otherwise this is most likely a permanent change (at least for me and possibly Orion)

The cookbook that is shown above is our new eating bible practically. The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook (click link to purchase) We LOVE the delicious recipes in this book, ans she gives great tips and descriptions on preparing whole foods. I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone, not just vegetarians. There are a few tasty looking meat recipes in there too. Check it out. I also have a link to her blog on my blog list, definitely worth looking at! (I am in no way affiliated with this company, I just REALLY love the cookbook! )

I am starting to feel more connected with purpose, with the planet, my work, my family and everything else. When the food fog clears its amazing to see what was not visible before. The Biodynamic Craniosacral work that I do is all about lifting "the veil" to reveal what is normally "unseen" and to offer space and a renewed sense of original purpose for the client. When I am more clear in what I feel, the work unfolds exponentially. I have been in class for 4 days this week and already I have noticed the extra depth in my work that was not present over a month ago. And no the picture above does not mean I am pregnant, its representative of my ability to see the whole picture clearer and in a different way than before. :-)

I am trying to bring in more Craniosacral clients into my practice, I know that this work has substantial benefits and I'd LOVE to be able to share it with more people.

Offer

I decided to post this video since it had an impact on my food eating choices. It was sent to me from a dear friend, and I can't resist sharing. It's a You Tube video set to Alanis Morisette's song "Offer".
I felt sick to my stomache that I had been consuming in excess food that was not even food, while people all over the world struggle to survive, day in and day out. By taking advantage of the wholesome foods the Earth has to offer, I am not supporting huge factory farms who destroy our rainforests and pollute our soil. The grain that is grown in most countries is primarily raised to feed farm animals, instead of feeding the people who have nothing to eat. This video is pretty powerful in that respect.

Alanis Morissette - Offer

Who am I to be blue
Look at my family and fortune
Look at my friends and my house

Who
Who am I to feel deadend
Who am I to feel spent
Look at my health and my money

And where
Where do I go to feel good
Why do I still look outside me
When clearly I've seen it won't work

Is it my calling to keep on when I'm unable?
And is it my job to be selfless extraordinary?
And my generosity has me disabled
By this my sense of duty to offer

And why
Why do I feel so ungrateful
Me who is far beyond survival
Me who see life as an oyster

Is it my calling to keep on when I'm unable?
And is it my job to be selfless extraodinary?
And my generosity has me disabled
By this my sense of duty to offer

And how
How dare I rest on my laurels
How dare I ignore an outstretched hand
How dare I ignore a third world country

Is it my calling to keep on when I'm unable?
And is it my job to be selfless extraodinairy?
And my generosity has me disabled
By this my sense of duty to offer