Keeping Track of 2010

As anyone who has known me for any amount of time, knows, I am not an extremely organized person. Actually you might consider me to be extremely disorganized, but I very badly want to be organized. I've been working towards it the more kids I have and I'm proud to say that I'm quite a bit more organized than I was when I was a teenager, ha!

This week, the first week of a new year, has found me a bit less organized than usual because I have nothing to keep track of what is happening for 3 kids, my husband and myself. I went to an appointment a whole day late, thinking I was on the right day, because I calculated in my head from my 2009 calendar what day I was supposed to go! (Another thing that most people who know me, are aware of, is that I am terrible at calculating things in my head!)

So today I again set out to use what I had to make what I need. I have a ton of paper craft supplies that my avid scrapbooking mother has given me over the years. Something that I have learned is that it takes an organized person to really do any scrapbooking, and we have already established that my mother did not pass me the organization gene. I grabbed some large, stiff pieces of paper, pens of varieties of colors, stickers and a ruler and came up with my own calendar. I even went on line to look at a 2010 calendar to make sure I got the dates right. I only had time to get January and Febuary done, but it will work for now, and I will at least have the day and date of events to come right, it's up to me to figure out what day it actually is!


I even hung it up where I will be sure to notice it!

Gluten free, dairy free, very yummy chicken tacos!

We eat a clean gluten/casein (the protein found in dairy products) and no refined sugar diet. At first it was hard to find meals that my kids would eat. We've since gotten more used to eating this way. This meal is cheap, easy and has become a favorite for the whole family!

I give credit to the recipe idea to my friend Valerie, although I've done my own thing with it.
I took a package of boneless skinless chicken thighs, although you can use chicken breast too, and I put them in a 4 quart slow cooker with a can of organic diced tomatoes, aproximately 2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp sea salt, 1 tsp cardamom, and 2 garlic cloves chopped finally. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. Serve with corn tortillas, lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole, salsa, ketchup or whatever else catches your fancy.

My picky eater cleans his plate every time I serve this.

Freya eats so much for such a tiny girl!

And of course, I stuff my face with several... after all I am eating for two, right?

I also make cumin pinto beans for Michael as he doesn't eat meat as often as us.

"Mama, I need slippers!"

This morning on our way to school (an in-home montessori childcare), Liam informed me that he needed slippers for "work". I've been meaning to get him some, but I never think about it when I'm around somewhere that I could actually find slippers. But today he was adamant about getting slippers and wanted to go the store "right now!" Michael and I have decided to really try to buy only a couple pre-chosen things (like new shoes for Michael's new job in the OR) new. We want to really try to get what we need used or repurpose old items into what we need. So I told Liam that I would try and make him some slippers. I dropped him off and came home and looked through my stash. I found a piece of leather from a repurposed leather jacket and some wool sweater scraps.

I used one of Liam's snow boot inserts for sizing and made up a pattern in my head. The first slipper took me quite a bit longer than the second as it took me a while to figure out the logistics of how it would fit.


They looked pretty cute by themselves, but I couldn't wait to get Liam from school so I could try them on him!


I had a hard time getting Liam to stand still for a picture... he loved them so much he was dancing around! He calls them his "lizard" shoes (thats how he says wizard). They are a little big, but that just means he can wear them for a long time!

Simple Does it

In a culture where more is better and everyones lifetime goal is to leave a mark on the world, it can be disorienting to live a simple life. At least it is disorienting for those on the outside looking in. For me it is refreshing, relieving and essential for happiness. The more simple my life, the more in tune I am with real living. When I eat simple food I am more aware of how my body feels and I eat when I am hungry, not to escape or to not feel what I'm feeling, etc. When I surround myself with simple, handmade things, instead of the constant clutter of stuff our culture supports, I can hear my thoughts and am aware of my true feelings and where they are coming from. When I spend my time playing with my family, reading good books and listening to positive music... same thing. I am here, present, able to really take part in life.

Our dream has been to live way out, in the country, off grid, away from the distractions of our culture. Instead of this dream becoming a reality when we thought we were so close, we have been led back to a big city. But we are realizing that we can live this simple life we so crave even here amidst the chaos. We don't believe in perfection, but we do whole-heartedly believe that we can make a lasting difference for our mother earth, our sanity and our children. One choice at a time we can make a new world!