Halloween parade day

 Good morning! OY! Costumes...off to help the little one into his before the parade...pictures are coming. These homemade goodies are a treat (still talking about costumes)...I'll get a nap soon...much needed.

#thankyouGod #nurturingcreativity #enjoytheprocess #dressingupSOONdone

Candy conversations - Making holiday choices work

 (One of) the conversations this morning...

Red: Mom, have we ever gone trick or treating?

Me: Yes...

Red: In our neighbourhood?

Me: No. (although, now that I think of it, yes we have, to a couple houses and then back)

Red: Why?

Older son (in the background, skipping through the house...): We can't eat the candy ♪♫♪....we can't eat the caaaaaannndy ♪♫♪

Me: Well, how does it sound to go to the door and ask, no beg, for some diarrhea? "Oh please, please may I have some diarrhea???" It's just better to not go around begging for what you DON'T want.

Red: Ok, (with older son still skipping, laughing, and singing in the background..."we can't eat the caaaaaannndy ♪♫♪" ) ...well, I would rather get a TOY anyhow (wink)

Me: LOL I see...

Older son: (pops head up from the basement) ♪♫♪ We can't eat the caaaaaannndy ♪♫♪

#houseparties #allergyawareness #harvestparty #Glenoracommunityleague

FB Good morning Post - October 30, 2014

 Good morning! Yesterday...my son saw the ugliest tantrum....he just finished having one of his own...for the same item in the store...this morning as the last minute announcement of "Pajama Day" set in with frenzy (they wore the bare minimum to bed last night....not appropriate for school

) we discussed the difference....between having your hair pulled off to one side by your Ego to get your attention towards something that is meant to distract you (off path!), and choosing with intention what it is that you would like to see and experience and then receiving it...if you feel you have ended up somewhere where you didn't expect to be, then you have two choices, get back on track to where you wanted to be or make the most and best where you have ended up...(and yes, you could also allow yourself to be lead down a path unknowingly and without intention, but I think for the most part, there is something we have all decided to experience in this life...maybe it is time to consider it more clearly)

Will today be good?... yes! And with intention

#thankyouGod #narrowpath #learningopportunities #weallgrow #oneanotherrelations #withhonour

FB Good morning Post - October 29, 2014

 Good morning! ZING! WOW! I just had a surge of energy...felt like I was zapped! It feels refreshing to feel energized and that your body is supported to flow with such energy.

All from committing to a supportive start to my day, each day...spiritually, physically, emotionally, mentally....prayer, fresh air/water/movement, gratitude, and study...could be different for others, but most of those around me that are energetic, start in a similar way....

Enjoy an energized and connected day

#thankyouGod #energy #supportyourbody #cleaneating #quiettimes #detox

The perfection of imperfection

 Today, I enjoy the prfection of imperfection that allows for increased love, forgiveness, acceptance, and gratitude in this world. I am enjoying the effort that my family intends to love me with, without expectation. Looking to the root of the intention and knowing that I am loved is enough

(Like when the boys want to make a special breakfast that we all sit down to and eat together every morning....beautiful! And stressful when its 15 minutes before we need to get out the door LOL....ooooo, the level of surrender to greater priorities is in effect ....it all works out in the end )

#Lovefirst #dropexpectations #receivetheLove #allowtheLove #enjoythegifts #intentionalSpellingError

FB Good morning post - October 27, 2014

 Good morning! I came home to clean hubby and rearranged house....wait, no?...to a rearranged hubby and a clean house....ugh LOL....that is going to have to do....

Thanks love, for taking ownership and loving up on your home and kids...both look and feel well-loved I truly had no worries...it really does feel good to know and trust that things are left in very capable hands. And THAT made a weekend away truly peaceful...

Now the adventures begins with a new, amazing weekend ahead

#thankyouGod #greatweek #womensretreat #greatmessage #greatwomen #snowishere

Women's retreat Canmore 2014

 Good morning! It was a beautiful day of discovery and considering being cherished...it is amazing to feel and to know what it is to be cherished and to cherish those around you. I am truly gifted with an amazing wealth of beautiful sisters that I get to cherish.

LOL and weekend isn't even over yet!

Celebrating the marvels, wonders, and fullness of Spirit and love today.

#thankyouGod #day3 #womensretreat #cherished #encourage #womensretreat #Lovefirst

What's the cost? Choosing to eat more organic foods

Our fridge

I saw this article posted by Food Matters, The 10 Most Toxic Fruits and Vegetables, on facebook and I shared it. (Now  keeping in mind, the toxins they are speaking of come from pesticides and conventional farming petro-chemicals).  This list is similar to the one shared by the Environmental Working Group,EWG's 2014 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce™. EWG has formulated and tested 51 common produce items and listed the from worst to best in regards to pesticide residues.


I am sharing this, not because I like it and think its important, but because it has made me think the most over the last week.

Knowing this information helps you choose wisely at the grocery store (and yes, even at the farmer's market....it's not all chemical free there, so know that you have the option to choose the organic and conventional at the same price there folks....local has more "ready", fruitful nutrients, so that is the bonus...).

Our family has a budget for groceries, and just a few years ago, that budget was half of what it is now...and we grew a garden, pillaged the neighbourhood of it's fruitful spoils (ARRRRR...no, we asked our neighbours :P ), and chose to buy superfood, ORGANIC produce so we could get the most health in our tight situation. (And chose because for a few cents difference per pound and maybe $5-$10 extra at the till, we knew we were not going to feel hungry later).

From my parent's garden....goji berries!

It's not just about price...it's good to eat food that is not only going to NOT burden you with toxins, but also that is more nutrient dense...you really are getting more health for your buck when you eat foods that have had to pull a little harder for those life-giving nutrients in happy, rich, organic-based, fertile soil.

 Makes this list your "must be organic" choices and then you can upgrade the other choices in due time (using the Clean fifteen list from EWG helps too.)....we are 9 out of 10 on this list from the blog post on the 10 most toxic..(darn cukes...) and currently we do buy organic cukes as well (in a different type...but the lunch choice has been seedless, mini cukes...for now)....and still have room in the budget for more organic choices...because we choose to.

But HOW did we make it an affordable choice to go mainly organic? We chose to cut OUT other foods that we were buying (and not necessarily as supportive)...main one that made the biggest difference...cutting out breakfast cereals and the milk to go with it...and in it's place we added about 3 times the bulk into our fridge through fruits and veggies that ALL of us could eat at the SAME cost. It took years to transition, but it was his choice to make...and he feels better for making that choice himself.

We also cut out the bulk of processed foods...but since we are mainly a dairy-free, gluten-free, etc. household, a lot has to be chosen in a way that is supportive to our health...essentially meaning, back to basics baby! Single ingredient foods! AND giving our boys the freedom at an early age to make the choices for WHATEVER brightly coloured fruit or veggie that they wanted to try really helped them to become healthy eaters (that buying freedom was GOLDEN!). Giving them access to the internet to research these foods also helped.

LOL I love the cross pollination. Yellow zucchini and acorn squash grown in same patch.

And we grow a garden every year! We are not farmers or green thumbs, but we are persistent...we chip away a bigger section out of our lawn each year to make more room to grow our own food. Zucchini made it back in the garden this year...carrots grew bigger and deeper, heirloom beets made it more to the fridge than to feed the little critters around the yard this year...we tried our hand at potatoes...and for SURE, we will be planting cucumbers next year!  It's a growing process (pun intended) and it's something we get to share with others...I have even offered to grow plants in the yards of my friends...all they gotta do is water and weed ;) That way, I have the space and we all get the food...could you imagine what we could eat (and save) if we all did this?? And we could CHOOSE to support organic growers and companies with our earned dollars, not because we have to, but because it is OUR choice to eat foods that benefit our health in the best way.

Swiss chard...I love you!

We, as a family, continue to learn the best ways to prepare the healthiest of foods and get the most out of what we eat and choose to put into our bodies. And as well, we also have those times where we do get the convenience, processed and packaged, "healthier-gluten-free-blah-blah-blah" foods (healthier of the options available) to have as a treat or because life is feeling crazy and "I just don't care", may-be-using-food-as-a-crutch moments (we try not to support big companies that show that they are not concerned for the health of the humans here on Earth)...but we, for the most part, choose to return to the goodness of good, wholesome foods. And enjoy the process of buying locally...we order local organic foods as well as frequent the farmer's markets to see the entrepreneurial love that goes into the foods and products that are available. It's family fun for all... Creating that wholesome connection with others AND your food is a priceless experience...

But all in small steps and all starting with awareness...(did I mention it taste great too?...ok, that's good for now...) Eat up the info and enjoy the flavours of choice...one food at a time.

Time to honour in wholeness

 Good morning! Oh this is definitely a hurdle to get over...time to honour in wholeness.

I am SO thankful for those that love and play in the fullness of love....who enjoy respecting, loving, and honouring those that come into their presence. That are excited to receive one another with open arms. Like FAMILY!!! I am surrounded by this great gift that is thankful for me in their life. Thank YOU for being grateful in such a way...

There is a great wisdom in remembering and sharing gratitude...Happy thanksgiving everyone!

#thankyouGod #Cheers #Lovefirst #givethanks #rememberthegood

Considering...The flowfullness of fulfillment

 It has been quite the wrestling match in my head and heart lately....striving to love in situations where it is not quite reciprocated...the gift of love remains and when the person feels it is safe....to reach for and receive their loving gift they will...until then...in themselves and in what is given...remains unopened.

And yesterday as I hung out with the boys and explored...as we ran and made deadlines (to the minute baby! YEAH!!)...received compliments with prosperous suggestions and made decisions about receiving the wealth of our futures...as my boys stepped up and asked for what they wanted and were able to find it (Lego minifigures) and were courageous enough to encourage a neighbour...and as we sat and enjoyed our "dinner" and built these minifigure characters (we each got a different one...hurray!)...I realized how flow-filled being ful-filled feels like...the flow of give/receive, the flow of intention and achievement, the flow of decision and fruition, and the flow of sharing in the joy of the journey with one another...

All these "points" are part of a line through which flow is happening...and if you want more "UMPH" in your moments, you gotta allow for more flow....less clamping down, pushing and squeezing and more opening... LOL sounds like giving birth! But yet it is...every moment is a birth....every choice is a labour...every decision is a baby...and every vision is a parent and child growing into a unified journey of unknown and marvelous experience. AND when we choose to "constrict" the flow (usually starting with love, and usually starting with ourselves...), everything else down the line gets "backed up" as well.  The next thing you know, you are feeling guarded and doubtful...almost constipated with swirling thought and emotion...and that stuff didn't need to get locked up in there...it was just passing through...and now with the back log and emotions that were meant for a moment, but are being forced to stay with another emotion that is irrelevant to its expression/experience, because it is out of context, and YEAH!!! Sounds like a pile of unfiled papers...and lost cheques, and forgotten bills, and unopened mail, and unwashed piles of laundry...and even moldy dishes...CLUTTER baby! Out of context content...

So how do we open the flow? Get some space...and then decide to start with love. (I know, sounds too simple...) Are you being loving to yourself? Why not? Why have you not forgiven yourself? Are you making yourself to be wrong in most everything you do? (feel the tightness?)...

...See, as much as I may have been living in clutter for quite some time, the MAIN reason it was "left" to linger is because I was "constricting" the flow. Now our house is clean (and staying that way for the most part), dishes washed, laundry done AND put away, stuff put where it should be, mail getting open, and everyone feeling they can breathe, be a valued contributor, enjoy one another's company...all because we took a BREAK! We had a family retreat for a week and high-tailed it outta here! And we drove in silence (no radio)...talking was not required...expectations were left behind...we OPENED the flow.  In that extra "space" we talked, we listened, we allowed for each moment to experience it's own emotion, thought, and fullness....and then move on to the next adventure...we loved the experience and we loved and allowed for one another...everything flowed as it should and our unorganized adventure took on it's own perfect shape and timing along the way...

Some things that seem COMPLETELY unrelated (love to the perspective of everything being separate and unconnected...no sarcasm intended...really!...no seriously...it serves to remind me that the truth is in connection, unity, "oneness", unseen and seen...multiple facets of the same gem, etc) are actually the source of your experience...(And a well-liked phrase that I hear in my head..."well THAT's your problem!"...) No, it's not a problem, it's a perspective that just doesn't line up with the desired outcome...wrong viewpoint to see through to the other "side" of what you would like to see...shift the view....Is it really related to feel and be in right action? Being emotional is wrong? Expressing emotions...faux pas? A lot of that expectation was hanging over our heads. Being wrong in our expression of emotions..Pure FOONANNY!!! As this is being read, it is being weighed in my mind and yours....Weighed against what? What are we weigh-ting for? A response...from where? How do you know you are receiving it (the response you are waiting for)?...is this getting confusing and heavy or what?....Some describe emotion as energy in motion....We have an experience, through which we have a response, and from that response we experience ...something! A feeling, a reaction...something. But it's what we do with that "energy" that makes all the difference. Stuff it? (it was me and it doesn't "feel" good, so it must be wrong, and then I am wrong....) Or perhaps...observe what is going on....and if you decide you would like to chose another "feeling" or experience, then let it flow on...Does it really have to become your possession?... and can it serve into the next moment or experience?  It doesn't have to.  Each moment (each day) has all it needs for you to know and experience...or as was written " Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Mat. 6:34)

....so what was the constriction? Expectation....and that expectation in me was BLINDING me to the experience that the others in my life were having....they cannot receive if they are all backed up....it seems like more pressure down the pipe. And that pressure creates a fear and resistance that builds up...their current experience/perspective/viewpoint is being constricted by their own expectation within themselves...How much LOVE are they allowing themselves (and opening themselves up) to receive? Are they making it WRONG to love, and forgive, and enjoy themselves as they are because of an expectation that is holding them captive? Very possibly YES!!! How do I know? Because that experience was once my experience (and if I forget, it may become it again....but I know now, so it won't last...) and the experience of countless others in my life who have shared in and about the same thing....I may be wrong and I am willing to be wrong, but as long as that constriction can be lifted from their head and hearts and life and allow more flow for connection and fruitful, joyful experiences then so be it!

So the wrestling is done...and I will hold that space for the love to be received...in myself and for others as well. I may be holding for a while, but at least while I hold the space for another, I will be receiving as well.

FB Good morning post - October 10, 2014

 Good morning! Blessed to consider...and...what do you spend most of your time thinking about and pondering on? I reflected on it and was inspired...considering a great and loving example in humanity and going deeper into the practice and connection into the understanding of this process of experience...I may be known (by some) to get things done, but not as an action junkie, but as one who practices empirically through experiencing truth THROUGH my body...it looks like action I guess, but its more experimentation and play (and can be annoying for some to watch

)

Through love flows compulsion (overwhelming feeling? or overflowing feelings) to love (through service, through compassion, through inspiring expression....)...

So have a LOVELY day and LONG weekend (Canadian Thanksgiving)

#thankyouGod #greatexample #Lovefirst #thankyouJesus #deeperthanweknow #Christ #Mind #connection #oneanotherlove

RAWNESS of AWEness - Facebook post October 2, 2014

Good morning! This morning has been filled with some serious and life-changing contemplation (LOL that statement is so NOT for the do-ers in my life...but I am glad they understand  )...

After having an open-hearted, be-real-to-the-bone, and honestly, one of the best pillow talks to date...I have come to realize that there is a RAWNESS of AWEness that I desire to live. If the opportunity seems lukewarm to me, a resounding "MEH!" will come to mind and commitment level will not be there. I love seeing people's lives change for the better...I love back-to-basics...I love witnessing the fruitful abundance and prosperity (overflowing with fullness) moments that life has to offer in the SIMPLEST of moments...and I love being grace with the observance of infinity in wonder through creation upon creation through creation (an ever-revealing unfolding of beautiful intention into the concentration of form and experience...)...AND I love engaging with those that are willing to open up to wondrous possibility with a smile and beautiful hint of curiosity. I LOVE IT!!!

And with that being said, over the last few months, even though I enjoyed a great amount of engaging with people who play and risk to enjoy life and the wonder within, there has also been some moments of dismissal, and unwillingness, and restriction in people that I hold dear that surprised me (or that I opened up to see...)...And to that I say "I love you." There will be no more for words needed...I will wait...but not without jumping in with both feet, ready to play and enjoy life in the meantime...

Let's enjoy and play in this beautiful new day together! I'm still breathing, so I'm not planning on wasting it!  Much Love 

‪#‎thankyouGod‬ ‪#‎honourcreation‬ ‪#‎theprocessisreal‬ ‪#‎Lovefirst‬‪#‎gratitudeoverflows‬ ‪#‎moreandmoregoodness‬ ‪#‎greatexample‬‪#‎thankyouJesus‬ ‪#‎amasterfullife‬