Changing Careers

I met with my friend Holly this afternoon and we talked about how I am thinking about changing careers, or at least changing the focus of my social work career. I was thinking that I needed to go back to school and get another degree, but after talking to my friend, I am thinking that I just need to do a lot of reading and research and get myself educated on different diet philosophies. I think my social work background is totally going o help. I've been trying to think of a way to focus my social work career away from nursing homes and the medical field, now I just need to make the change. I think my biggest focus is going to be clean eating. I have been trying to figure out what is the best diet for me and my family. I have thought about being Palo, vegan, vegetarian, and so many others, but what I am thinking is a mix of different diets. I really want to learn the ins and outs of eat diet and learn how they work in the real world. In generally, my thinking is that a balanced diet including meat, veggies, raw foods with limits to dairy, sugar, and starchy carbs. I tend to shop the outer perimeter of grocery stores already and I truly believe that is the best place to start. As I learn more and start making changes, I will share things here. I want to make changes in my life as well as help others learn to make changes in their life. I am hoping to start to be more adventurous when it comes to figuring out new recipes and ideas to make for my family. I would love to start my own therapy business with the focus on food and healthy eating, but I think I may need to initially start out working for someone to learn more, but maybe not. I'm still in the beginning phases of figuring it all out, but at least I have a small plan. I'd like to also teach people about gardening and where their food really comes from. In grad school, I helped to write a grant to get inner city kids to gardens so that they could learn what whole foods are and where real food comes from. I loved watching Jamie Oliver teach people about cooking their own food and learning what real food is. Now on to research different diet philosophies and clean eating! Amy

Re-Inspired

It's been a few months since I've posted here. I seem to always start trying to post more of my creative things on another, separate blog but I always seem to come back to here I have recently become re-inspired to start posting here again and following through with why I created this blog in the first place. When I started this blog about five and a half years ago, it was to start living a more healthy and natural life while creating handcrafted things. Through the craziness of life, my follow through waxes and wanes. I have started creating mandalas and "zentangling". I have finally learned what zentangling is and love that I can be creative and do meditation at the same time. I have been posting my creations at my other blog, http://pixiewindow.blogspot.com. My latest creations are below:

I am also re-inspired to change my eating. I have been working on changing what and how I eat, and it's been a challenge. With the new year starting, I am joining up the with the 100 days of real food challenge. I am also trying to work more on how to add why I write about in this blog into my professional life. I love who I work for, but I don't love working in the nursing home arena any more. I want to do something more with nutrition and creativity and now that I have my LICSW, I feel like I have more options. I feel like I need to make more changes in my personal life so that I can be more credible in my professional life. I would love to have a place where I can have a creative arts studio and a kitchen and garden where I can teach about nutrition and where food comes from. I would love to have a place where people, especially children, can come and learn how to eat healthy and learn where food comes from and what different types of foods there are and how to create healthy delicious food that they will enjoy. I also want to teach ways of being creative and how to use creativity for relaxation and meditation. Someday, if I keep trying to figure it out, I will find a way to have my passions be part of both my personal and my professional life. I'll, hopefully be writing more about my plans and what I learn. I'm sure I'll continue posting on pixiewindow.blogspot.com, but I will be sure to continue to be active here and post about my mandala, zentangle, gardening, and cooking and eating healthy.

Best Wishes on living a balanced, handmade and natural life< Amy

My Life

This is the start of a crazy week. My twins have their annual physical tomorrow, then the next day my oldest has an appointment with his autism doctor, and then I take my LICSW test on Wednesday.  Along with this I have to work at three different nursing homes this week.  As usual, I am continuing to try to figure out life.  I keep trying to living the handmade and natural life that I want to live, but for some reason, it always seems so illusive.

I just read a blog post about " Our Year Without Groceries"  and I am re-inspired to continue with this dreams and desire to live a handmade and natural life.  As always, there is a balance, but I haven't quite found the balance I want or need.  I'm not sure that I could go a year without going to a grocery store, but I would love to try it.  I need to figure out how, just north of Boston, I can afford to eat local. I have a garden, and we should be set for tomatoes and kale, but I'm not sure what else.  Farmers markets here seem to be more of the "in thing" instead of a way of life.  I love going to our local farmers market, but, unfortunately it is really an expensive way to buy food.  I would love to support my local farmers, but I need to figure out how to keep it within my budget.

Along with the food issue, I need to work on the clothing issue.  I just read a story to my children about being green.  One way I want to live a greener life, other than with eating less processed foods, is to reuse clothing.  I have been really lucky with hand me downs for my kids, but I haven't been as lucky or as good with thrift stores and hand me downs for me.  I want and need to stop buying and adding to the excessive amounts of "stuff"

Once I pass my LICSW test Wednesday, I am hoping to do more than just nursing home social work.  I am hoping to do social work with my love of handmade and natural living. I would love to work with people to teach them how to live this way, But I need to learn how to live this way too.  I will keep trying and learning and failing and getting back up and trying again.

This blog is my dream and my ultimate goal and I will continue to work at living the life I desire.  I may not always live it and I may fall really hard, but I will continue to get back up and try again.  I hope that at some point, I will be able to share this with others!

Amy

"Unprocessed October"

I'm taking some inspiration from my Facebook friend and fellow twin mom over at http://bonusrounds.blogspot.com and challenging myself to follow through with my reasons for starting this blog.  For the most part, I shop the perimeter of the store.  I tend to try to make my own foods, but lately have become lazier than I would like.  I have also become lazy with my dairy free, gluten free diet.  With this being October 1st and the start of the fall season, I am challenging myself to really be focused on what we eat and how much of it is processed versus how much I make myself.

One thing I have started making from scratch is yogurt.  I used the "recipe" over at http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/10/you-can-make-yogurt-in-your-crockpot.html and have loved how it comes out.  It is definitely thinner than store bought yogurt, but guess what?  All you have to do is strain it and then you have greek yogurt and it is delicious, thick and Creamy!

I plan to make my own gluten free bread today after I get home from a play date.  Unfortunately it is from a mix, but I had already bought it and don't want to waste it.  I plan on making up my own gluten free pancake mix, my own granola and granola bars, maybe even my own nut milk.  I am hoping to get back in the habit of cooking healthy foods for my family.

Along with cooking, I am also planning on continuing to research more about art therapy and how I can make it a career.  Being creative is something that is very important to me, including being creative in the kitchen.  Being as natural as possible is very important to me.  I am hoping to get back on track with following my beliefs and living a handmade and natural life as much as possible.  As the title of my blog states, there is definitely a balance, but my goal is to be more natural than processed!

Amy

Living The Life I Want

This week, I missed out on wishcasting Wednesday.  This week the question was, "What do you wish to immerse yourself in?".  As I sit here and type, I am thinking about that question.  Even though I missed writing about my wish on Wednesday, there is no reason why I still can't write about it today!  I love Wishcasting Wednesday, because it makes me sit and really think.  I get a chance to sit and write down my wishes instead of just keeping them to myself.

My answer this week is, "I wish to immerse myself in my passions!".  The question is how do I do that?  I have 3 kids and we have enough money to live, but not enough extra to play with.  The good thing is, that over time, I think my passions may save us money, I just have to find the time to learn.  My passion is what this blog is all about, living a handmade and natural life.  I am starting to cook more instead of going out to eat, I am trying to use the crafting supplies I have instead of buying new, I am trying to make a lot of my own health and beauty products.  I want and need to learn more though!  I want to learn more about aromatherapy, herbs, natural beauty products, gardening, crafting responsibly, cooking good healthy food that tastes good also.

My newest thing I want to learn is soap making.  I need to get a good simple tutorial with a list of the basic supplies I need.  I don't have a ton of extra money to spend, but we are spending a lot on buying good soap so I know in the end it will be worth it.  I also have to stop worrying about making it.  Someone told me that it can be dangerous so I should do it with someone who knows what they are doing.  That has me a little worried, but I am sure that I can do it fine, as long as I take my time and read directions carefully (good directions).  I have been making cream with essential oils, now it is time to move on to bigger and better.  I just need to learn more about waht essesntial oils are good for certain things.  Time to pull out the books!

Any thoughts on good resources for herbs, aromatherapy, etc?

Amy

Back To The Whole Reason I Started This Blog

I started this blog about a year and a half ago to talk about my struggles and triumphs of balancing living a handmade and natural life.  I feel like this blog has gotten a little away from that, probably partly because I have gotten away from living my life like that.  I have been struggling to follow through with some of my beliefs that got me started writing this blog.  I feel like lately all I have been writing about is my diet, and even though that is part of what I had hoped to talk about on this blog, it is not all I wanted to talk about.  I guess, in order to remind myself why I started this blog, I want to write a few bullet points on what living a handmade and natural life means to me.

1. Diet:  I want to eat as seasonally and as locally as possible.  I know that there are going to be times that I can't or won't do this, but in the long run, eating this way is a much healthier way to eat.  I want and need to find recipes that are based on eating local/seasonal foods.  I know that there are a few books out there, I just need to find good ones.  Currently, I have "Clean Eating" and am looking to get "Clean Start" by the same author.  I am also working on moving toward a vegan diet.  I have been starting my day off with raw green smoothies.  I feel like I do so much better if I start of the right way.  I am going to try to plan a menu for the month of March up front instead of flying by the seat of my pants and trying to figure out what to make each night.  This has been a goal of mine for a while now, but I just never seem to follow through.  My other goal is to finally eliminate all of the potential allergens that cam back on my blood test.  Again, I've attempted to do this, but lack the follow through.
2. Handmade Things: I want to start to make more things myself.  This includes food, but so much more.  I don't want to always rely on going to large stores to get what I need.  There are going to be times that I need to do this for financial reasons, but my goal is to buy supplies to make the end product, not by the end product out right.  I also want to make sure that I find time to create.  Making things myself will force me to find the time to actually make the things I need.  I guess that would be the other piece of how I want to live; I only want what I need.  I don't want to have that feeling of needing to have something just because I want it!  I also want to use what I have, not go out and buy more supplies.  The only way I want to buy more, is if I run out of something or I absolutely need to buy something to make a project.  I would rather choose a different project than buy new supplies adding to all the stuff that I already have and then I can save money too!
3. Living Green: I am trying to live as green as possible.  Some of the things that I have already mentioned fit this, but there are many other things that I can do.  I need to make sure that I continue to recycle.  I need to use my reusable bags more often.  I try really hard, but sometimes I go shopping and I don't have them.  I need to start composting again.  I try to reuse ends of veggies to make veggie stock.  I feel like this way, I am using all of the food not just part of it. Since I pay for it all, I should use it all.  Also, why buy veggies to make stock and then throw them out when I can use veggies that I would have thrown out if not for the stock.  And then, Why spend money on stock with who knows what type of ingredients, when you can make your own and now what is in there.
4. Exercise: I want to start exercising and including my kids in the process.  Hopefully, with March starting tomorrow, the weather will start warming up and we can get out for walks.  Even if it doesn't so much warm up, I need the snow o be gone so that I can push the double stroller safely.  What I really need to do is find some good DVDs with mom and kid exercises that we can do together when the weather is bad.  I think it will be a good thing for the kids to do to get out some of that pent up energy that they have not being able to go outside.  I also want to add in some yoga for me and for the kids!  When the weather gets better, I want to start bringing the kids to Breakhart and places like that.  I will definitely need another adult or two with me, but I want to add being in and enjoying nature to the exercise mix.
5. Living a Wholesome Balanced Life: I want to incorporate everything that I have written here as well as continuing to use natural body products and home cleaning products.  I want to continue to use more natural remedies for the different things that ail me.  For example, this weekend, I felt the beginning tingle of a cold sore.  Since I was up at 4am, I started my lysine regime right away.  I am amazed that I neer got the traditional blister that i aways get.  I must have caught it at the right time because two days later I do not have a cold sore!  I have been using my own deodorant (baking soda, cornstarch, coconut oil and essential oils).  I want to get back to making my own toothpaste (baking soda, salt and maybe some essential oils).  I will continue to try to not use shampoo when washing my hair, but if I need shampoo, I will use those without sodium laurel/laureth sulfate.  I want to start making my own soap (I need to get my husband's cousin to do it with me so I can learn the right way).  I want to start making more of my own cleaning supplies.  I know that I have a bunch of recipes printed out, but now I need to start making them. 

I'm sure that there is a ton more that I can write.  I won't bore anyone that reads this with more things that I want to do to change my life.  This is really an outline for what I want to do with my life so that I can start living the way that I want to live.

Thanks for reading this lengthy post.  This felt really good to write and I think I need to do this every so often so that I write down my goals of how I want to live.  My next posts won't be nearly as long and won't be nearly as boring.

Amy

Who Am I?

This post is more for me to think about who I am and what do I believe in.  It's really a post for me that I am sharing with anyone who reads this.  I think it is really important for all of us to, every once in a while, sit down and think about who were are and what we want out of life.  I think sometimes life just gets so busy that we forget our goals and belief systems and I for one, feel like I often need a reminder and a lilttle slap to re-focus me  back to where I want to be.

Who Am I?

I am a 37.5 (yes, I am being fairly exact) year old married female with 3 kids, 1 boy and a set of girl/boy twins.  I dated my husband for almost 14 years before we got married, and he was well worth the wait.  I have a graduate degree in Social Work and as much  I am happy that I have it, I'm not sure that it is my true passion. 

I love being a mom and I love that I am able to stay at home with my 3 kids.  I wish I could get myself into a better routine so that I don't feel like I am floundering trying to come up with ideas on how to keep them busy and get them to learn the things that they should be learning as well as keeping my house in order.  Since the new year started, I have been doing better.  I still need a lot of work to get my house in order.  I hate housework and I'm sure that I put it off, finding other things to do instead.

I love the whole idea of a natural holistic life, but sometimes I get to caught up in taking the easy way out, that I don't always follow through with my ideals.  I want to make sure that I use as few chemicals in my life as possible, especially when it comes to my and my family's body and environment.  I am try to use better quality body products, or even make my own.  I am trying to cook all our meals and snacks from scratch rather than buy processed items.  I am trying to use natural products, as long as they clean well, in my house cleaning.  I really need to make time to exercise, even though I hate it!  I need to make time to meditate and do yoga.  I want to learn more about herbs and essential oils and how they can benefit us in everyday life.  That is definitely one of my passions!

One of my other passions is being creative.  I love to make things!  I love taking something like a plain piece of paper, material, yarn, and make something beautiful and useful out of it.  I love the idea of handmade items versus commercialized products that everyone has.  I love learning new creative outlets.  I have not enough time to spend on all the things that I love to do.  I want to sew more, knit more, make more cards, scrapbook more.  I love anything creative.  There are so many creative avenues that I want to explore!

I really love to cook.  I don't always love to eat everything I cook and I absolutely hate to clean after cooking, but I love to make food!  I love cookbooks.  I love cooking shows.  I love trying new recipes.My new goal is to cook and eat healthy.  I am trying to be a little more adventurous in how and what I cook.  I want to cook more vegan/vegetarian foods, but sometimes I just want a huge hunk of steak!  I am trying to eliminate dairy, wheat, and gluten as well as refined sugars from my diet.  I believe that I have an intolerance, at least, to dairy and wheat/gluten and I just want to eliminate the refined sugars because they are just plain not good for you.  I am doing better with this goal, but still have a long way to go. I can't wait for the nice weather so that we can start our garden and have fresh food from our garden.  I will be better at planning out meals this year so that we can use what we have instead of running to the store!

 I really want to re-purpose/up-cycle more.  I want to lessen my carbon footprint by either making something myself or reusing things in a new way.  I really want to stop spending my money at stores where the items are made outside of this country.  Along with that, I would love to start eating with the seasons, so that I eat local foods not foods that are shipped in from South America or even California or Florida.

I love my family!  I love spending time with them.  I can't even remotely imagine my life without my husband or my kids.  This is the life I was meant to have.  I know that there is more about me to write, but if anyone reads this, it's already too long.

I wish I could make a living at my passions, but at least right now I can't.  That is not to say that in the future, I won't be able to find a way to include my passions into my work.  I'm sure that there will be more posts likes this, especially when I find that I am not living up to my beliefs and not enjoying my passions like I should be!

Amy

Getting Back to Living the Life I Want

I started this blog as a way to talk about a lot of my beliefs in the way I want to live my life.  I think, somehow, I have gotten a little off course.  I have also recently read a fellow bloggers recent post, http://thefragrantmuse.com/, about blogging about our whole selves, not just what the blog is supossed to be about.  I have many blogs, but I think that this blog is one that can encompass the whole me.  It can encompass my family and the craziness (http://thiscrazylife-amy.blogspot.com/), my belief in living a wholsome, natural life and my love of creativity (http://thehandmadeandnaturallife.blogspot.com/, http://thecreativelifeproject.blogspot.com/), and my desire to cook and eat healthy (http://trialsandtribulationsofhealthyeating.blogspot.com/).

Even though I will continue to write on those other blogs, I will try to write about the whole me here.  This blog is about my belief system, and all the other parts of my life help to define my belief system.  My husband has helped me to learn about eating healthy and using natural treatments vs only medical.  Because of him, I have reached out and wanted to learn about so much more.  I am interested in essential oils and how they can benefit us, not just from smelling pretty and nice, but how they can help keep us healthy.  I am interested in using natual cleaners for my home and my body, and for my family.  I am interested in how being creative can help us physically and mentally.  I am interested in learning more about using alternative treatments in my social work practice vs just using traditional talk therapy.  I am interested in healthy eating.  I am interested in how a more plant based diet maybe more beneficial for me vs a more meat based diet.  I am interested I finding out how to cook interesting, tasty, healthy meals that not only satisfy the stomach, but also the soul.

I would love to lilve a life with less tv.  I know I can, I just need to do it.  I have plenty of things that can and will keep me busy.  I never used to watch tv, then all of a sudden, I am totally addicted to certain shows, though a lot of those shows are starting to grate on my nerves and I could very easily give them up.  Fortunately and unfortunately, I have the veria channel that has a bunch of holistic alternative shows that I am so interested in.  Unfortunately, I have seen them often, but still really enjoy watching them.  My newest goal is to watch less tv!

So here, youwill find posts that are about all the different pieces of my life tht make me who I am.  We are all multifaceted humans and should show that off.  You will read about my family.  You will read about my eating difficulties and accomplishments.  You will read about my creative projects.  What you are really reading about is ME!

Amy