Well, this year is coming along quite beautifully. I am so thankful for the opportunites I have taken advantage of. I can't belive it is June already! Summer is almost here and so I thought I would fill ya in on what's been going on in my life. The theme of the year is self reliance and sustainability.

Diet/ Food Nutrition
Going raw couldn't be easier! It seems the more time passes, the easier it becomes. My kids are rawkin' it too! This lifestyle goes amazing with my garden. I do not grow everything I need so I joined a local organic co op. I have decided that I want to steer clear of grocery stores for the most part and go straight to the source. I found a local organic farmer that I can go and pick my own stuff from too. Super fresh! I really want to grow it all myself eventually, but until then this is an amazing upgrade from the typical supermarket. I did just buy raw kelp noodles. Inspired by a visit to: http://www.leafcuisine.com/  I had the pad thai. I really enjoyed them, plus kelp is amazing for the thyroid! Of course I joined sites like http://www.giveittomeraw.com/. I have the recipe book from Raw Food Real World and Ani's Raw Kitchen. My kids and I make a new recipe every week. This past weeks recipes from Ani's weren't so tasty, but this new creativity is a blast. In no time I will master this!

Exercise
I love free flow exotic dance. http://www.artofexoticdancing.com/ .I love the human form and self expression. I have considered doing more of it in a classroom format with women who already know how to express themselves and also support the women who feel they can use the support, open guidance and encouragement. Yoga is a staple and I began working back in gymnastics again. I want to go to an acro yoga class! I love how the body is so adaptable and able.

Home
I have been quite "green". I only use biodegradable cleaning supplies. Most of them are just homemade concoctions I have created. I also recycle, compost, unplug everything, and do all those little things that help. I have been working on a sustainable residence. I want to be the change! I am totally inspired by: http://pathtofreedom.com/ Look them up on you tube as well.

Garden
I have done so much that I am shocked! In the beginning of this year I started pulling out my typical landscape and started growing food, medicine, and designing an edible landscape. I love the book by Rosalind Creasy: Edible Landscaping. I picked a blueberry just yesterday and it felt so rewarding. Plants are like my little babies. I am still learning and growing. I built 4 more raised beds. I love the Square Foot Method for some of my plants.  http://www.squarefootgardening.com/ I would love to have a bee farm and worm farm, but I am just as happy to build a bat house :). All in good time. I am teaching my kids too! My local nursery and garden supply shop has been very cool. I told him earlier in the year about my edible landscape project and I just found that he featured it in his newsletter. Spread the word! :) I also joined a local organic garden club. I was the youngest person there, but hey... I was surrounded with people who have been doing this for years! I have much to learn.

Beauty
I began looking for organic vegan make up at : http://poshorganix.com/  I am detoxing from Bobbi Brown. I have just been using up what I have & then I will buy a healthier choice.  I am curious for the change.  I noticed I wear far less make up after going raw! I also am making an appointment to have my hair done by a place that uses biodegradable hair coloring systems. I have considered going my natural color, but I am still checking out and experimenting with less toxic forms of hair care. Skin care is simple...it's pretty much my own natural concoctions as well. My Day Spa background comes in handy for this kind of stuff!

Kids
I am still homeschooling. I wouldn't trade it for anything. Last yeat we started guitar lessons, went on snowboarding trips, joined gymnastics, went to great theater productions, played in the dirt and grew some cool stuff, studied Lao Tzu, and Greek Philosophers, we cuddled in bed and read stories. We also did some solar powered science projects.  I love teaching my kids what I love and an alternative lifestyle. We live across the street from a park and I can hear my kids telling other kids about the cool stuff we do. This was my second year homeschooling. I think I am over the hump and I understand how to do it now. It works well. Children are a product of their environment.

Career
I am still evolving as I deepen my self realization and continue to empower myself. A lifetime journey. All is well. I feel strongly in entrepreneurship and highly encourage people to follow their passion. I feel that doing what you love feeds the soul and not only the pocketbook. I have been free and working for mself for the past 2 years and I can't imagine being an employee again. However, I love networking with like minded organizations and companies and synergizing together to create a world of good! I just feel that when your work is in alignment with your life principles then you are never able to decipher a 40 hour work week because it is you. You do not "retire" because it is how you conduct your life. You are the living example. You are doing it 24/7. I highly recommend the book: Do What You Love for the Rest of Your Life by Bob Griffiths. Or check out his website: http://dowhatyoulove.com/ .

Money/ Belongings
I am on a mission to spend as little money as possible. A spending diet you could say. It started after I watched the Human Footprint. I blogged about it recently. I understand the drama involved with consumerism. When I do spend my money I am making sure it is what I really want. It needs to be good for everyone and the planet. I understand that my money is my vote and this world runs on supply and demand. No mindless spending just to buy it. I understand my value is not based on what I own. As a matter of fact I have found that detoxing from my belongings has freed tons of my time. I have incredible order and peace.  We can't take it with us, if we aren't using it and enjoying our belongings regularly, then give it to some one who will! The book "Consuming Desires" was interesting, check it out:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/1559635355/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link

 I was sad to learn that Hawaii is the number one most tested site for GMO's and Monsanto. They figured if anything went wrong that the islands were far enough away to have an affect elsewhere. Bummer, I am rooting for a GMO free Hawaii!

Watch this when you have time. If you are at all concerned about sustainable living you need to be aware of this. I knew that it was important to not buy hybrid seeds and GMO foods. However, this provided much more insight. I was floored. However, awareness is EVERYTHING!

I guess I feel better in one sense that the world runs on money and I have a choice as to how I spend it. I belong to a local organic co op. I rarely visit grocery stores anymore. I really want to go back to basics. Some advancements are great, yet sometimes I wonder if we have gone too far.

I feel really good that I began seed saving and starting my own edible landscape. It just eliminates so many questions when you take matters into your own hands. I don't like people messing with my food or the future food for my kids!

I encourage others to do the same. Find a local organic co op on: http://www.localharvest.org/csa/ . Or grow some of your own food! Even if all your have is a balcony, you'd be amazed what you can grow yourself. Buy open pollenated,heirloom, organic!

This family is local. I'll be meeting them next week. I agree with the way they do things, and while I may not feel compelled to implement everything they do. I truly am inspired by their simple way of living.

I can't help but wonder what my shopping habits have on the world. If I can do anything to turn it around....I will.....wait, I am . :)

I am ready to grow super nutrient dense foods and found ANOTHER way how to do it!
Recently I began researching a better way to nourish my garden in a natural way. I knew to use compost, but I still felt something was missing. I decided to research sea agriculture. I learned about it from http://juicefeasting.com/ . At the time I just put it in the back of my mind, but as my plants stopped growing and not much was happening I decided to look into it more. I found this website http://www.seaagri.com/research.html. It really made sense to me. They found that the plants resisted disease and pest infestation, veggies contained higher amounts of vitamins and minerals and the produce tasted better. I know our soil is depleted and the ocean is filled with minerals so I thought I would give it a shot. I liked this: http://www.ratical.org/ratville/SEA.html. I still would like to read the book Sea Energy Agriculture by Dr Maynard Murray and follow up books like Fertility from the Ocean Deep, but for now I just thought I would get started and see what happens. I also found that in Hawaii many farmers are already using these methods. Brilliant! I will be posting the progress! In the meantime if you have any experience with this I'd like to know about it.

I finally watched this video with my kids, my mother and my childrens father. I have a family history of cancer, nervous disorders and heart disease. I am happy to say that I do not have to worry about "getting cancer". I know how to heal my body. I am teaching my kids as well and every client that I come into contact with. We do not need to feel like helpless victims when it comes to our health. If it is important enough to you....you will find a way! 

It's funny we cannot care for our health without caring for the environment as well. How can we not see that we rely on each other?

I will be watching a screening of "The World According to Monsanto" this on Sunday featured by the Dervaes in Pasadena. check out the article : http://www.pasadenajournal.com/id126.html#story3



I am so glad I have started my own garden!