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I realize I have been posting a lot about the law of attraction, goal setting, and synchronicity lately, the reason being it is a new year and I am stoked about creating and conjuring awesome things in my life. One of the top tools in my “manifestation handbag,” besides mind movies, affirmations, and blissful living, is vision boards.

Picture of my vision board

Pictures are powerful. Creative expression is powerful. Combine the two and you have the perfect right brained activity to activate magic in your life! For example, a couple of months before David was born I created a vision board. On it I put a picture of a red car. I really desired a new eco-friendly car. Ours was 10 years old and frequently needed maintenance. Not to mention it was super loud when we drove on the freeway! A couple of weeks after making my vision board our car window broke. Remember, everything that happens, whether it is perceived as “good” or “bad,” is a blessing. Since fixing the window would cost more than our car was worth investing in, this incident convinced my practical husband (we balance each other out quite nicely) to trade it in for a new car. Yeah!! We decided on a RED 2008 Honda Civic with great gas milage (eco-friendlyish) and 4 doors (instead of 2). Just in time for baby’s arrival! Would all this have happened if I didn’t set my intention and create my vision board? Probably not. The way it works is by placing your vision board in a location where you will see it often, your subconscious mind will absorb the images within it. Then when opportunities arise in your life to achieve the things depicted on your vision board, your subconscious mind will guide you to make the right choices and enable you to achieve these things. By making my vision board I saw a picture of a red car several times a day and envisioned myself owning one. Sure enough, within a month I did!

So how do you make a vision board and start living your dreams? It is as easy as one, two, three…

1. Collect and save your favorite magazines

2. Cut and paste pictures from these magazines onto a big posterboard. Make sure to choose pictures which invoke happy feelings and are representative of your goals and desires

3. Look at your vision board every day and watch miracles happen! Oh, and be sure to give thanks to God, to whom we owe gratitude for every living breath we take, for everything you receive.

Me and my car on a windy day

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” ~Matthew 7: 7-11

I am a big proponent of taking care of my teeth naturally and holistically. As the saying goes, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” The last time I went to a dentist was about 4 years ago when I removed my amalgam filling. After being disillusioned by at least three incompetent dentists, I realized I required to take responsibility for the health and longevity of my own teeth. One dentist, in realizing I had a slight jaw misalignment, actually suggested he break my jaw and put a metal post in it to fix it. What?! Are you serious?! He was. He had this insane procedure done on himself. Poor man! As for me, I will stick with my slight overbite thank you very much!

What are the main reasons people go to the dentist? One, to check for cavities. Two, to fix misalignments. And three, to get a semi-annual cleaning. Proper nutrition can prevent and even reverse cavities and teeth misalignment (especially in children). In his well researched book, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, Weston Price, a dentist, found nutrition had a direct impact on dental health and jaw bone structure. In an effort to find out why so many “civilized” people had dental problems, he studied several tribes of indigenous people. When these tribes consumed their natural diet they NEVER had any issues with their teeth or need for dental care! Once fed a western diet, the dental health of these same indigenous people, and especially their offspring, rapidly deteriorated. The hundreds of photos in this book are worth a thousand words!

As for the semi-annual cleaning. I have the perfect alternative solution for you! This tooth powder recipe, which I found on herbmentor.com, is the best way to clean teeth I know of. As most of you may already be aware of, conventional toothpaste is chock full of harmful ingredients. Sodium fluoride (used in rat poison), blue dye, sodium lauryl sulfate, triclosan, and hydrated silica just to name a few. Even organic healthier toothpaste versions have ingredients which can be too harsh and abrasive or can coat our enamel, therefore never allowing our teeth to be fully clean. So obviously a professional cleaning would be useful for those who use toothpaste. This tooth powder, on the other hand, leaves my teeth feeling as clean and fresh as a visit to the dentist. I like it even better than tooth soap, which is also a great alternative to toothpaste. In addition, the kaolin clay in this recipe is reported (by a dentist) to feel and look exactly the same as the expensive tooth polishing agent in her office. Hmmmmmm….

Tooth Powder:
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup sea salt
1/4 cup kaolin clay
30 drops spearmint oil
1 tbsp. ground dried sage (helps whiten teeth)

Mix ingredients well and store in airtight container. To use, dab a small amount of tooth powder on wet toothbrush and brush as usual.

Oh, and remember to floss!

After writing my Power of Synchronicity post several weeks ago I recieved lots of positive feedback from my readers. Apparently y’all love hearing magical fairy tale stories. You know, the kind where you actually do get what you desire, kiss the prince, and live happily ever after. Let me tell you, there’s nothing quite like experiencing synchronicity. Like the time I decided I desired to take piano lessons and a couple weeks later found a business card for a local piano teacher in a raw food recipe book I checked out from the library. After throwing this business card away, I met the exact same piano teacher in one of my yoga classes who spontaneously asked me if I was interested in taking piano lessons. How did she know? After handing me her card I recognized it right away! Needless to say, I signed up with her and she turned out to be the most awesome piano teacher ever! That reminds me, I require to start my lessons back up again.

Me lying on a hammock near our hotel in Hawaii

A few months ago, one of my friends put a hammock up outside on her land. It is tied between two pecan trees. I would go over there and enjoy a large part of my visit swinging in her hammock with David. What BLISS! How amazing it is to sway back and forth and look up at the clear blue sky and her beautiful pecan trees. David would nurse and nap and I would meditate. I made up my mind. I had to have one of these for myself! Soon after I wrote out a desire list and posted it on my fridge. At the top of my list I put my desire for a hammock. Mentally, I was trying to figure out how to make it happen. We didn’t have the right tree spacing to tie a hammock to, which I really desired, so in my mind I thought I would have to get a hammock with a stand. And because of our budget at the time I knew we would have to wait until spring to purchase one. I was bummed. This is the scary part of our fairy tale, when you don’t quite know if the heroine is going to have her happy ending. But, as fairy tales go, I was bound to come out strong.

My friend Courtney read my desire for a hammock just like hers. She likes to read everything I write down on my fridge, calendar, and notepads. I think my list making and note taking obsession amuses her. Anyway, she had received her hammock as a gift several years ago when she lived in Hawaii with her former partner. Her partner had received one as a gift as well. She called him and asked if he still had it. He did and it had never been opened! She picked it up from him and surprised me with it for David’s early birthday present!! I admit, I went a little insane…. squealing with delight, jumping up and down, and giving her several hugs in a row. In addition to bringing me a hammock, she brought a wood post so that I could tie one end to one of my trees and the other end to this post (remember how I preferred a tree hammock)! The post needed to be cemented into the ground and, synchonictically, our garage had a couple bags of pre-mixed cement, which I guess the previous tenant had left. So we were able to put it up right then and there! Within only a week or two of writing my desire down, it manifested! I was so happy! The next morning we went outside and enjoyed most of our day on our very own hammock! And we lived Happily Ever After!

David taking a nap in our hammock

The End

I LOVE baby wearing/toddler wearing! Why? Because it helps me to fulfill both my needs and my son’s needs at the same time (especially on his clingy and teething days). I can even get some exercise in while enhancing his development and teaching him good rhythm Here I am dancing with David at a Ecstatic Dance Festival last April (don’t laugh). My son was 5 months young here. WOW! They really do grow up so fast!

I realize some of you may feel I am being too rough dancing with my baby like that, but babies are quite resilient if we allow them to be. Consider women in Africa who carry their babies on their back while pounding grain, or women in South America who trek through jungles and climb trees with their babies securely wrapped against their body. Babies are designed to experience the thrill of life while feeling secure and safe next to their mother. As you can see from my video, David was calm and enjoying the ride! He adapted his position to my position and moved with me. Now he loves music and dancing and has an excellent sense of rhythm.

Other Benefits of Babywearing (taken from Evie’s Kitchen):

*The mother’s progesterone levels are increased through physical contact with the infant, leading to a more intimate maternal bond, easier breastfeeding and better care

*Infants who are carried are calmer because all of their primal/survival needs are met. The caregiver can be seen, heard, smelled, touched and tasted, and can provide feeding

*Consistant motion is necessary for continuing neural development, gastrointestinal and respirator health and to establish balance (inner ear development) and muscle tone

*Parental rhythms such as walking and heartbeat have a balancing and soothing effect

*Infants are “humanized” earlier by developing socially. Babies who are closer to adults can study facial expressions, learn languages faster and become familiar with body language

*Independence is established earlier (according to Desmond Morris in his book Babywatching)

*You have two free hands to mothertask: do the laundry, juice the cucumbers and keep your baby content

*Some slings are designed for easy breastfeeding, without moving or disturbing the baby

*Slings take up less space than pushchairs

Me shopping at Whole Foods while wearing David (11 months)

That’s what I’m talkin’ bout!

P.S. Do you babywear?

Happy New Year!! This is one of my favorite holidays because of the renewed sense of hope and excitement it gives me for all the adventures I choose to have and goals I choose to accomplish. In celebration, I have included a video of a drink made out of juniper berries (which are in season now), called smreka. This drink is from Bosnia and is surprisingly tasty. It could make a great new year toasting drink for those who are not into alcohol, like myself.

However you enjoy your new year I hope it is blissful, whether you are partying with friends or staying home and keeping it low key like we are this year. Tonight we will be making new year’s resolutions, watching a holiday movie, toasting with kombucha, and sealing 2012 with a midnight kiss. If you are into making new year’s resolutions like we are, check out this post I did 2 years ago. It’s all about how to set the perfect goals for yourself and keep them, inspired by my sister’s adorable dog Chula.

Talk to you in 2012! Our best year yet!

P.S. Apparently my kitchen has bad lighting. I apologize about that to all you artistically minded people. See this post for more bad lighting footage

Ok, get this… I have over 70 books on parenting!! Obsession? I believe so. How about I start doing some book reviews? Good idea? I will start with The Natural Child by Jan Hunt. Bear with me as this is my first book review since high school…

Groggy morning photo

Me wearing David in his New Native sling at the Farmer’s Market

The Natural Child by Jan Hunt is a short 175 page book on parenting from the heart. Jan advocates attachment style parenting (co-sleeping, baby wearing, responding to cries, etc) and talks in depth about discipline, schooling, and our children’s place in society. She has very sound logic and deep insights when it comes to rethinking these subjects. Even those who are adamant about strict discipline, schooling, and the notion that “children should be seen and not heard,” would have to stop and reconsider their viewpoint after reading her book. Jan also gives helpful tips on how to lovingly handle common occurrences with children such as shopping trips and tantrums, always emphasizing the importance of looking at life through our children’s eyes. According to Jan, no child is bad or misbehaves on purpose. There is always a cause and an underlying need which is not being met. She writes, “a child’s behavior is a response to the circumstances present at the time. Those circumstances may be external – such as overstimulation, stressful events, or sibling conflict – or they may be internal – such as teething, food allergy, insufficient sleep, or a developing illness.” Many times throughout the book she repeats the Parenting Golden Rule: “Treat your child as you would like to be treated if you were in the same position.” Below I recorded a small section of this book which I believe sums up her viewpoints nicely. It may be a bit dramatic, but many times drama is key in getting a point across, especially when it goes against the grain of commonly held beliefs on how children should be raised.

David playing in leaves

Newborn

What we say: “You can cry all you want; I’m not going to pick you up again!”

What we think: “This is breaking my heart, but all those experts can’t be wrong.”

What the child thinks: “They don’t love me. They don’t care about my suffering. Mommy is perfect, so there must be something wrong with me. I must not be worthy of anybody’s love.”

What we say 20 years later: “What on earth do you see in Tom? How can you let him treat you like that? Don’t you know you deserve better than that?”

Infant

What we say: “No more nursing. You’re too big for that now!”

What we think: “I’d like to continue, but I can’t stand all this criticism from my relatives.”

What the child thinks: “I’ve just lost the most important thing in my life: the long periods of cuddling and the food that felt best inside me. I must have done something terrible. I must be a terrible person.”

What we say 20 years later: “Why are you drinking so much?”

Age Two

What we say: “You can’t come into our bed anymore. You won’t be lonely. Look, here’s a nice big teddy bear to keep you company!”

What we think: “Grandma thinks there’s something wrong with having you in our bedroom. I’m not sure what it is, but it’s more important for us to please her than to please you. Anyway, this teddy bear should make you happy.”

What the child thinks: “It isn’t fair! They get to cuddle with a real person. They don’t know me very well. They don’t care about my feelings. Oh well, at least they gave me this bear.”

What we say 20 years later: “I know you’re upset that Tom broke off with you, but is that any reason to overcharge your credit card like this? Will all this stuff make you feel better that someone left you? When did you become so materialistic?”

Age Four

What we say: “You know you’re not supposed to hit your brother! I’ll give you a spanking you’ll never forget!”

What we think: “There must be a better way to handle this, but it’s what my dad did, so it must be right.”

What the child thinks: “I was so upset with my brother I hit him. Now Dad is so upset with me for hitting, he’s hitting me. I guess it’s okay for adults to hit, but not for kids. I wonder what I should do when I get upset? Oh well, one of these days I’ll be an adult myself.”

What we say 20 years later: “A barroom brawl? Adults don’t hit people just because they’re upset. I never taught you to resort to violence!”

Age Six

What we say: “Well, this is a big day for you. Don’t be afraid. Just do everything your teacher says.”

What we think: “Please don’t embarrass me by acting up at school!”

What the child thinks: “But I’m afraid! I’m not ready to leave them for so many hours a day! They must be getting tired of me. Maybe if I do what the teacher says, they’ll like me better and let me stay home.”

What we say 20 years later: “What?! Your friend talked you into taking drugs? Do you do what everybody else tells you to do? Don’t you have a mind of your own?”

Age Eight

What we say: “Your teacher says you aren’t paying attention in class. How will you ever learn anything important?”

What we think: “If my kid never amounts to anything, I’ll feel like a failure.”

What the child thinks: “I’m not interested in the things the teacher talks about, but I guess she knows best. The things that do interest me must not be important.”

What we say 20 years later: “You’re 28 years old an you still don’t know what you want to do with your life? Aren’t you interested in anything?!”

Age Ten

What we say: “You broke another dish? Oh, never mind. I’ll wash them myself.

What we think: “I know I should be more patient with you, but at least this way the dished will get done.”

What the child thinks: “Boy, am I clumsy. I’d better not even try to help anymore.”

What we say 20 years later: “You want that job but you won’t even apply for it? You should have more faith in yourself!”

Age Twelve

What we say: “Go out and play with your friends – You’ll have more fun with them than hanging around here all day.”

What we think: “I know I should spend more time with you, but I’ve got so much to do. It’s a good thing there are so many kids around here.”

What the child thinks: “I want to do things with Mom and Dad, but they’re always too busy. I guess my friends like me better.”

What we say 20 years later: “You never call us or come to see us anymore. Don’t you care about our feelings?”

Age Fourteen

What we say: “Please leave the room, dear. Your father and I have something personal to discuss.”

What we think: “We have some secrets we’d rather you didn’t know about.”

What the child thinks: “I’m not really part of this family.”

What we say 20 years later: “You’re in prison?! Why didn’t you tell us you were having problems? Don’t you know there are no secrets in families? We tried so hard. Where did we go wrong?”

David and I snuggling by the fire

Being a parent is the most important thing we will ever do. What could be more vital than the legacy we leave behind through our children? And what could be more important than ensuring the next generation is happy, healthy, and fully functioning? This is why it is soooooo important to THINK about what we are doing. It is not wise to follow the crowd or take the “easy” road on this one. I challenge each one of you to rethink the way you are parenting your precious little ones. Every word we speak and every action we take has a subtle or not so subtle effect on the rest of their lives. These amazing beings of light have entrusted their care to us. Let us live up to their trust and take our sacred responsibility seriously.

P.S I am recording my journey with David using the 8 principles I choose to parent by. Look out for my e-book, Advanced Parenting: 8 Ways to Activate Your Child’s Full Potential, at the end of 2012

I am really enjoying all the wild greens growing on my land right now. Filaree, dandelion, chickweed, curly dock, and hedge parsley are in season here in Texas. Can you believe wild food has on average 10 times more nutrition than conventional food?! And it’s free! And it’s tasty! And it gets us out of the house, giving us fresh air and a meditative mind! I really have no excuse not to have at least one wild salad a day. I usually do

Freshly picked wild greens ready to make into a salad or green smoothie

If I wanted to go the extra mile I could even add some wild pecans and black walnuts to my salad. Now that would be WILD!

What do you like to put in your wild salad?

Hackberries are in season! Woo Hoo!! These are one of my most favorite wild foods. During late fall and all through the winter you will find me drinking hackberry milk 3-4 times a week for breakfast! Breakfast of champions I tell you! I am always experimenting with my superfood drinks, adding a little of this and a dash of that. Sometimes this results in a beverage which requires me to plug my nose and chug it down as fast as possible. Other times my experiments result in the most delectible delight and for a moment I fancy myself a culinary genius! Recently I created a hackberry milk which tastes so much like egg nog, only with double the nutrition and without the gut bomb effect. Try it! You just might LOVE it!

Try it fancy

Or try it casual. Either way it ROCKS!

Holiday Hackberry Nog:
1 cup wild foraged hackberries
4 cups warm rooibos tea
2 Tbsp. raw honey (or sweetener of choice)
1 Tbsp. organic non-gmo soy lecithin
1 Tbsp. coconut oil
2 cloves
3 shakes cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
big pinch sea salt

Add rooibos tea and hackberries to high speed blender. Blend on high for 1-2 minutes. Strain and add liquid back into blender. Add in remaining ingredients and blend well, until creamy. Pour into mugs and sprinkle nutmeg on top. Voila! Best Holiday Nog EVER!!

Sometimes I add 2 tsp. of medicinal mushrooms to the mix, but this tends to change the flavor, so I don’t recommend it if you are a beginner

Happy Holidays!

P.S. For all you breastfeeding moms, this drink is great for replenishing your milk supply!

I have a confession to make. I have a weakness. Yes, it’s true. I am not perfect. Shocking, I know. I hope y’all still like me after I reveal this to you but I am what I fondly refer to as an Un-Domesticated Goddess, meaning, I suck at keeping my house clean! At any given moment, if you were to walk into my home unannounced (because I can clean up nice for guests ), you would see dishes in the sink, clothes on the floor, random papers and other projects on my table, an unmade bed, and bathrooms in need of cleaning. This is something I have struggled with for a LONG time. Even in elementary school I remember spending my weekends trying to clean and organize my room. My mother, like 99.9% of the people I know, has a knack for decorating, organizing, and keeping her place spic and span. She would not let me go outside to play until my room was the same way, and so I spent many hours inside overwhelmed by mess when I so desperately wanted to have fun with my friends. Well, now that I am grown up, I do play. Instead of cleaning I generally choose to go on long nature walks, watch movies with Bryan (netflix has become our standard date night since David was born), talk with friends, nap, read, meditate, and enjoy lots of snuggles and quality time with my son. I never clean when David naps, except for rare occasions. I use my time for self-care and fun.

Slightly blurry pic of David laying on my pile of clean clothes

Some days I feel I should be living the life of Anastasia, from the Ringing Cedars series, or Adam and Eve, from the Bible. No house to clean, no food to prepare, nothing on my to do list except for contemplating the meaning of the cosmos, playing with my animal friends, and giving thanks for the abundance of food growing around me. In nature, everything makes sense. If I were to throw an apple on the ground I would not be cluttering my home (not that I actually throw apples on my floor…). Mother Earth would use this to enrich her soil. Nothing is dirty, out of place, or in need of sterilization. Everything is perfect. Everything fits into her eco-system and is used to create beauty and abundance. Instead, I live in a box, whose ecosystem would collapse (or eventually become part of nature’s eco-system) if I didn’t tend to it consistently. I love my home, I really do, and I appreciate the warmth it provides and the modern conveniences it contains. I am just saying, maybe we could come up with something more efficient for all us un-domesticated goddesses out there

I believe our greatest weakness can be our greatest strength and inside our deepest shame and sorrow lies the most beautiful part of ourself. In order to change anything we must first embrace it. We must see how our weakness is serving us. We always have exactly what we need and desire, even when we think our life is far from ideal. So today, I celebrate my un-domesticated self! It has brought me so much fun!! So many moments when I should have been cleaning I have chosen to follow my bliss and invest time with those I love. I am grateful for my ability to relax no matter what my surroundings look like. I am a better mother because of this. My son is able to play with my stuff, eat on the floor, be diaper free, and get dirty without a stressed out mom. Today I make peace with my un-domesticated self, for my greatest weakness may just be my greatest strength.

P.S. Do you have a weakness? In what way does your weakness actually serve and bless you? I would love to know!

Hi Y’all! I hope your Thanksgiving weekend was FABULOUS, filled with family, fun, and good food! I love that we have a holiday which reminds us to appreciate our life and gives us an excuse to throw a party for our family and friends. There truly is so much to be grateful for. Every breath we take is a gift. And as Cicero stated, “gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.” When I stop to ponder on all the blessings I have, I become deeply emotional and humble. There is no way I can be jealous, selfish, or complaining when I am in a state of gratitude.

In honor of Thanksgiving I thought I would do a food blog. It’s been a while. This video was taken a few months ago when I wrote my day in the life of a blissful mama post. It is a how to on making a yummy drink out of sumac berries. I know, I know, they are out of season, but hey, it gives you something to look forward to in the spring. In springtime you can munch on young sumac shoots and in the summer you can enjoy this delicious sumac-ade…

Thank you for being AWESOME! There is no one else in the world exactly like you!
Love,

P.S. If you had a raw/vegan Thanksgiving, please let me know what you had! We had a vegan pizza from the book Thrive and also some raw cranberry sauce and a delicious salad with pomegranates and nuts. Yum!!