to have Courage....In Family Life, In Spirituality, In Health, In Living Simply

I'm on a journey...... as we all are. Learning, remembering, re-discovering about health, spirituality, relationships, emotions and the mind.

Monday, May 9, 2011

A New Blog.....I've Moved

With my random thoughts all over the place, I've been wanting to rename my blog and decided to move it to a new spot. So, come join me at
Acrobatic Thoughts

Biophilia Explained

I recently read "Last Child in the Woods" by Richard Louv, and although I felt a push to get my body out in nature more, I still haven't succeeded much towards that end.  My children are a great example to me, and so I did agree to running around outside in the freezing wind last evening to do a Treasure Hunt that Toveli had arranged for Mother's Day.  But its still hard to get me out the door away from the kitchen/laundry/books/computer.  I admit to feeling soooooo much better after having spent some time out in nature, but I just don't respond well to even kicks to get me out the door.

Something I'm working on.

Anyways, here's something to speak to me (and maybe to you, too!).


Sunday, May 8, 2011

What You Can Carry

Own only what you can carry with you; know language, know countries, know people. Let your memory be your travel bag.
Alexander Solzhenitsyn
Russian author & dissident in US (1918 – )

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Boy Makes River

Did you see my post about Laars the other day?

Well, news has it that he has now done it in front of our parked van.

"Front of" means....closest to the street, since we back the van in.  Where all the neighbours could see (if they were passing by, or working in their yards and even cared one iota what was happening over at our Zoo).

Parked on a short but steep incline, he left a stream.  A river.  He is fascinated in making Rivers.

Pour a little water here on the kitchen tiles and watch the streams flow along the grout.

Pee a little there and watch where the stream will flow.

See how red mama's face can be.

And her heart smile a big smile because

He's my boy!!!



PS.  Cute for a 3 yr old, even if it wasn't my boy.  I'd think yours was adorable, too.  But not so cute if it was an 8 yo.  I'm sure we'll be a little more discreet by then.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Rainbows in the Day

The sun has been coming out and that is when I go out to play. After a little bit it starts to rain and the sun is still out. And then I start to look around in the sky. And if I don’t see any thing I go to the front of the house .And if I see something I run up to my house door and open the door and then I yell ”there is a rainbow.” And then all of the little kids come running out to see it. And if they don’t see it they say ”where is it.” And then I show them. so what do you do after you see a rainbow?

~written by our 9yod Toveli.  She wrote this as a blog post for a closed blog with other students, and she chose these colours to represent the rainbow.  I thought it was very creative, and wanted to share it with you.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Making a Stream


That is NOT a shadow in front of Laars.

Here's what happened, leading up to this funny.

I was making soup earlier today. Anders came in to tell me that Laars went pee. Outside.
I asked Danaka and Maret to take over the soup-making as I figured I would find a wet and cold boy who would love to have a bubble bath during the clean-up process just because he loves to.

I was surprised to find our 3yo standing at the front door with dry pants and a wet stream flowing down the aggregate. I told him that we shouldn't be peeing at the front door. We can go on the toilet. No big deal.

I went in the house to get some water to dilute the walkway of the yellow stuff. The boys of course wanted to play in the stream and proceeded to do that with rocks from the pathway once mama went in the house to continue with the soup.

A few hours later. Mama is back in the kitchen (because the kitchen seems to be the central command station) and Laars says "I gotta go pee". I asked if he needed any help, and he confidently said "No" and off he ran towards the bathroom. However, I heard the chime we have set to signify that an outside door has been opened. And I thought "He's not......??"

I notice that the toilet us unoccupied as I walk past the bathroom, but standing just in front of our Welcome Mat at the front door, pants still up but his you-know-what pulled up and out and creating a yellow fountain that will result in a stream he soooo admires.

Sweet little boy, steals my heart all the time.

When his father got home I asked him what would make a little boy do that. His response was "Because he can!"

I admit, I don't understand boys. They are just plain weird.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Sundaes on Sundays

One of Mitchell's favorite foods is Raw Ice Cream.
And it seems appropriate to have Sundaes
on Sundays.



Here is Raw Banana Ice Cream
 (frozen bananas creamed in the food processor)

Drizzled with Nut/Seed Butter
(peanuts, pumpkin seeds, pecans,
walnuts, flax oil, almonds)

And a Chocolate Sauce
(cocoa powder, honey, hot water)

Friday, April 29, 2011

A Chair to Knead Bread

It was Layne's day to make challah.

But the whole wheat is a bit hard on the processors motor sometimes, so we have to use the arm muscles.

But when the counter is too high, or you are just a tad too short, you can't get the power you need to knead that dough.


Thus, call in the chair for support!



She needs a stool to blow out the candles on the mantlepiece, too!!

Save the Frogs Day

I LOVE FROGS!!!  especially the little green tree frogs.  Oh my, my heart melts almost every time one of my littles brings me a cute little frog.  I've even let them come into the house, for a short time.  They must always be handled gently, respectfully, and sent back to where they found it in almost pronto.

I remember when Layne and Rauchelle were still little and we lived out on acreage.  It was raining one night when we arrived home and walked into our log house.  Right after we clamoured through the back door where we proceeded to remove our rubber boots and hang up our jackets, we caught eye of a frog that must have hitch-hiked in on our boots.  I picked him up gently but almost drop this little guy when he surprised me with a bulging throaty R-i-b-b-i-t!!  He was promptly sent outside to play in the mud.

This past schoolyear we purchased The Digital Frog for all the children's sciences and included was information on how to help save the frogs, and let me know that today is Save the Frogs Day.  So I decided to share some of the tips they give on how we can help to protect frogs.

Slow Down when driving on wet nights.  That's to dodge the frogs, not to target them ;)

Don't use Pesticides

Don't eat frog legs .  (I've got that one down-pat)

Don't purchase wild-caught amphibians as pets (OK.)

Turn off the tap.  (been working on water conservation all year)

Build a frog pond in your backyard.  (not sure our landlords would like this, but the kids sure would)

Conserve resources (working on that)

Don't purchase bottled water.  (we don't)

Use Rechargeable batteries (yep, but not solely)

Vote for the Environment (ah, politics.  Never an easy choice)

Reduce, Re-use, Recycle (yup.  And be Minimalistic)

Become an amphibian biologist.  (not planning to be, at least not in this life hehehe!)

Go vegetarian.  (basically, already am.  But not vegan)

Eat locally grown, organic food.  (easier in warmer climates with more diversity, but we do what we can at this point)

Spread the word:  use email, tell your friends (that's what I'm doing!)

(Their last 3 items are about getting their free newsletter, become a member, and donate.)

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

I Love the IMAX

Everette has been really busy with work over the past few weeks (thank You, God), and worked all last weekend too,  so he suggested the family go to the Royal BC Museum and the IMAX. 

What a fantastic idea!!  So, off we went down the windy Sooke Rd (some of us battle with motion sickness, and this road isn't helpful in that department) heading for the city on another wet spring day.

We had to split up a little, as not all were willing partners in the trip to the museum/IMAX this day.  Surprisingly, some of the dc didn't want to see the movies but would rather wander around the city with their older sister, drawing journals in hand and little Laars in tow.  So, the bulk of us took in.....
Beautiful!!  I loved it.

I remember when in about grade 5 I did a school report on Orangutans, clipping gorgeous photos from National Geographic (my all time fav nature magazine) to grace my report.  Orangutans have always been one of my favourite animals.

The elephants were delightful also.  They have inquisitive personalities, and their emotional communication has always astounded me.

There were a lot of Oohh's and Aahhh's from our family, with the animals cute antics and the beautiful scenery.  I almost wanted to volunteer and go live with both of these ladies and their orphans.

Many of the family had already seen

 when Robert Lacey was here to speak and host Q&A in February.  But,  some who had seen it before wanted to see it again,  and some wanted to see it for the first time, so we did a switch-eroo and the rest of us wandered through the museum.  There is so much to see there, you just have to pick a different area each time and take in as much as is possible before the Little People's attention span runs amuck.  Today we picked Entomology Etc., where we got to view all kinds of insects (wasps, butterflies and moths of BC), and then checked out birds & their eggs, and mammals and their poops!  and I took the little boys for a quick detour to touch the Real Ice where the Mammoth is displayed so they could touch it "Just Once More".

 One of the best things we've ever done with funds to help with out children's education, is getting annual passes to the museum and the IMAX.  It's one of those Gifts that Keep on Giving!!

Monday, April 25, 2011

Playing Grocery Store

Not your typical grocery store.  We had a Pet store corner, where you could buy an African Grey Parrot, or a butterfly, a squirrel or
 Snakes
 Everything came with a Price Tag
There was Frozen Fruit, supplements like Ginseng and MSM,
fresh fruit, baking supplies and bandanas & paintings.
 "Shopper " Laars exchanging money to buy a car.
 "Cashier" Gaelyn, always greets you with a smile & giggle.
Mitchell digging deep into his pockets to pay for his shopping spree.

This is a much better way to practise math than using a textbook!

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Treasure Hunts & Outside

The children in the neighbourhood have been busy over the long weekend creating Treasure Hunts for each other.  It shows their creativity both to create the clues, and to decipher both what the clues might mean & how their environment could be perceived.



 Here they are looking for clues they think are under somebody's shoes.

Seems the children like to congregate in our yard since its the largest on the block and not full of stuff.  Its a great place for tag, soccer, Dead Ant Tag,  and just goofing off.  But then the neighbours' draw is that most of them have trampolines and a bunch of stuff.  So they wander between the yards, playing well together and having a lot of fun.

Slightly different topic:

I was shocked, to say the least, when one of the moms stopped by the other day to say "It is such a beautiful sight to see your children out in your yard playing."  She was referring to our children playing out there on a daily basis when the other children are off to school or stuck in their houses doing homework.  Our children love to play outside and are often seen out there even when the weather isn't exactly the nicest (in my estimation, anyways).

The compliment came just as I finished reading "LAST CHILD IN THE WOODS: SAVING OUR CHILDREN FROM NATURE-DEFICIT DISORDER   by Richard Louv  and was feeling like my children don't get into nature enough.  They could get out into creation more, do more hiking, more sitting under a tree to watch the squirrels, etc and I don't set a good example in that department, but nonetheless it was nice that somebody took the time to encourage me that I'm on a good path.  Thanks, Britt, you blessed me.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Roadside Art

As a child I always liked playing with chalk, other than that drying-out feeling it left on my hands.

Then as an adult, I didn't like the dust that it leaves below any work area.

The ideal place for chalk.......

the road.





Monday, April 18, 2011

Do Parents Have Rights to Shoot Back?

Like I shared yesterday in Forced Medications I find this story about Maryanne Godboldo very disturbing. That a parents rights to choose medical care for their child (or change treatments) have been brutally attacked is scary.  Does our society and our authorities think that parents are totally uneducated and incapable of taking care of our own children and must rely on those in authority to make those decisions for us?  We can't even be trusted to make healthy bag lunches! (granted not all children eat healthy bag lunches, but who thinks cafeteria food is necessarily healthier?)

The Maryanne Godboldo question: When do parents have the right to shoot back against state-sponsored kidnappers?

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Forced Medications

My mouth almost dropped open and got stuck there attracting flies. I am in shock that this has really happened.

Detroit SWAT team assaults African American mom who refused to medicate her daughter with antipsychotic drugs


What is the matter with our western society? How did we ever allow such tyranny in our 'free' lands of America?

We are not Free.

Americans are not Free.

Canadians are not Free.

Not truly Free.

Not Free to chose for ourselves and our loved ones.

I am appalled that people are being forced to medicate their children. Pressured to put them on psychotherapy drugs.  Or to subject them to chemotherapy treatment under court order.  Or insist on inoculations under threat of legal action.

Just because the authorities are indoctrinated to believe that these poisons are actually good for people, and that parents are not smart enough to judge what is in their child's best interest.

I realized today, while reading these articles, that if I ever go to a doctor or take my children (not a common occurrence, thankfully) to see one, that if I have no serious intention of filling a prescription I should courteously decline having the doctor even write a prescription out.  In the past I've taken their prescription and just not had it fulfilled.  But maybe its even best to not take it in the first place.

Obviously, its a good idea not to be going to the doctor unless absolutely necessary.  In my opinion, there is a reason we say they are  practising medicine!  And I believe that we ought to be the specialist of our own body, and be educating ourselves  and our children on how to best take care of our bodies.

I personally believe that allopathic doctors are necessary in acute cases ie., emergencies.  But for anything chronic, they don't have cures --only bottles of 'band-aids'.  They aren't solving problems, but generally creating others via side-effects of their treatments.

This incident with Maryanne Godboldo  is ludicrous and appalling.  Somehow, this tyranny and threat must stop.






Thursday, April 14, 2011

Me & Warmth

I was shocked to find a layer of snow outside this morning as the sun was rising.  How did that happen?  Yesterday was such a beautiful sunny day without any warning of the upcoming cold.   But I do recall the wind picking up as the day started to darken.  Must have blown the clouds in.

But thankfully it came and went.

Seems the older I get the less I enjoy any cold.  Not that cold and I were ever friends.  We just put up with one another.

But sunshine and I......we embrace.  I love the sunshine.

I'm waiting...... for the warmth of summer to kiss me!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

His Hands


I threw my cup away when I saw a child drinking from his hands at the trough.
~Diogenes quote
Photograph by Peter Essick, National Geographic

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Think For Ourselves

Everette had our weekly 'coffee date' this morning. Its often the time we can connect and discuss the agenda for our Sunday afternoon Family Meeting with the children.

Sometimes we discuss his growing business. Or we discuss books we've been reading. Or how I'm dealing (or not) with school or family issues on a daily basis. Or some habits we need to address, or the growth we see in individual children.

This morning we actually talked quite a lot about our society of sheeple (people being gullible as sheep), and how we need to take responsibility for ourselves, and help our children think for themselves. I reminisced about John Taylor Gatto's book "Dumbing Us Down" we used for discussion at a homeschool group up island.  How we are conditioned in many ways to disengage from our world and do as we are told.

Then I came home to read this about the USA.... (Canada has very much the same system/mindsets as our cousins to the south) 
Last-minute budget deal narrowly avoids the Big Government shutdown America desperately needs to balance its budget

Can the ball be stopped?  Maybe. I don't think it will be.

But I will continue to think for myself (freedom of choice), and teach my children to do so for themselves.  We will not do as we are told "just because", or because "It's always been done that way".  We will discover for ourselves what is right, what is good for us and those around us (the world), and not just what seems like a quick fix for the moment.

We will care about the future generations: have a mindset of Seventh Generation as the natives did.

You Owe Me!

The Sun doesn't say to the Earth 

"You Owe Me!"



*****************

Do I think anybody owes me anything because of the work that I do
as a wife/mother/sister/daughter/friend/citizen?

In what spirit am I serving?

Friday, April 8, 2011

D-Feat Breast Cancer Campaign

I don't normally post on Fridays, but I got this link this morning that I found encouraging.  On Monday I wrote about the War on Cancer, and how it really hasn't accomplished anything positive.  But then here we have something/someOnes doing something Pro-active.  Actually getting truthful, positive information out to help women decrease their chance of getting breast cancer.

Vitamin D is good for much more than protecting against breast cancer. But that's todays message, anyways.

D-Feat Breast Cancer Campaign recruits salons to help promote the message that vitamin D helps prevent breast cancer

Going to enjoy that spring sunshine today!

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Savory Oranges

When our eldest daughter returned from a trip to Morocco a few years back, she introduced us to a simple dessert or snack.  We eliminated the sprinkle of brown sugar, and treat our children to this year round but particularly in the summertime.

Today the children were savouring it, and I thought you might want to share it with your loved ones (or yourself) too!

Just slice up some juicey oranges into rounds.  Place on a plate or platter.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.

That's it.  Enjoy!

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Monday, April 4, 2011

War on Cancer

Wikipedia:

The War on Cancer refers to the effort to find a cure for cancer by increased research to improve the understanding of cancer biology and the development of more effective cancer treatments, such as targeted drug therapies. The aim of such efforts is to eradicate cancer as a major cause of death......
Despite significant progress in the treatment of certain forms of cancer (such as childhood leukemia[2]), cancer in general remains a major cause of death nearly 40 years after this war on cancer began,[3] 
Photograph by Moredun Animal Health Ltd/Science Photo Library
I hate that phrase:  War on Cancer.  
I understand the original reference, the commitment to finding a cure, and discovering the causes.  But after 40 years of this 'war' the culprit(s) and treatments have already been discovered, and yet that information continues to be virtually ignored by allopathic doctors and the pharmaceutical industry, and the people who trust them.  They are still looking for 'the cure', but ignorantly reject the clear evidence of an answer that doesn't come in a package they can sell (ie. no money to be made). And so they keep on searching, while people with cancer die because the truth isn't shared, or acknowledged, or embraced. 
I believe that for many, many people, the possibility that the choices that they have made in their own lives might have played a major role in them having cancer is just too much for their pride to handle.  It is easier for them to believe that they just got the short end of the stick.  Or somehow its just the roll of the genes.
I can't say that 100% of cancers are self- or environmentally induced.  That would be presumptuous.  But I do believe that cancer and other diseases are more from our lifestyles then they are by randomness and our genes.  
There's more to read about the War on Cancer over at Dr Mercola's site and The Health Ranger also has something written by Dr. David Jockers about how to prevent cancer in the first place.


Sunday, April 3, 2011

A Dead Food List for Raw Fooders



If you are a Raw Foodist, you might find this Dead Food List interesting.

We are high-raw rather than 100% raw foodists at our house, so eating some of these foods doesn't stress me out (like it once did!)  But for those of you who might be trying to be meticulous about the whole eating thing, you might want to check out the list and clean out your cupboards.

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Gerson Therapy

If you haven't heard of the Gerson Therapy, you ought to give a listen.  It's something either you or a loved one will likely have to deal with.....the treatment for cancer.  Get informed today, so that if you are in that unfortunate situation, you won't panic and give in to the standard  poisoning treatments.


The interview between Mike Adams (The Health Ranger) and Charlotte Gerson about the cancer industry, and the true answer to healing cancer.  A great audio.

It's worth noting that oncologists don't choose chemo and radiation for themselves if they end up having cancer themselves.  They themselves chose alternative treatments.  Something to consider.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Books Everywhere

A common sight when we've returned from the library with a new stash of books.  A favourite event.  Often on a Tuesday evening since the library is open late.

Monday, March 28, 2011

A Hint For Women Fasting

Over the years one comes to realize after reading the magazines you can pick up for free at the health food stores that spring is traditionally a time for cleansing and detoxifying the body.  But I have recently discovered other times that lend themselves well to fasting, whether that's a complete fast (presumably still drinking water) or some other type of fast.  Personally, I juice fast/feast (can check out Juice Feasting) so that I have enough energy to keep up with the members of my family as I don't have the luxury of an intense fast where I would need to spend a lot of time resting and aiding the detox through different modalities.



Anyways, what I discovered recently was that you can fast according to:

a) the cycles of the moon.  Whether we realize it or not, our bodies are effected by the phases of the moon.  So when it is near full moon your body is naturally more receptive to the detoxing, making your fasting efforts more powerful.

b) your menstrual cycle.   When you get your period, your body is in a cleansing mode naturally so its a good time to increase that cleanse.  I find I am not very hungry during these days anyways, so it lends itself well to (juice) fasting, and I find temptations to be minimal.

I never used to be able to fast, or so I thought.  I usually suffered from headaches terribly, and a lot of light headedness.  I'm not sure what exactly has made the difference, but since Everette and I did 5 days of a juice feast just over a year ago, I have found doing a day or two with just juice is really easy now.

So, if you've always wanted to fast because you've heard of the health and spiritual benefits, but you haven't succeeded in the past, I'd say Don't Give Up!  Keep Trying!  I finally found what works for me, and it works Simply!

And do check out Juice Feasting.  There's tonnes of information.  Helpful, even if you don't do a long fast.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Aquarium

Danaka & amazing jellyfish


Laars and this crab were talking together.

All the creatures are from the Salish Sea which is basically local to the southern regions
 of the Strait of Juan de Fuca & Georgia Strait area.

The fish were incredible and quite colourful, even if they
were basic grey & yellow like this fella.
My fav was a fish with browns, pinks and blues,
but he was a challenge to photograph because he
was constantly on the move.

 I didn't count the legs on this one, 
but I think it had more legs than the one I did count with 21.
 The children could climb under the table and pop up into this bubble and be
right in the middle of the sea creatures!
 After cleaning their hands the children could touch some of the creatures by using their gentle pinkies!
The creatures are On Rotation, so those who need Time Out are in deeper pools here so the children aren't to reach in and touch those ones.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Homemade Peanut Butter

Not a great picture, but that's all there was to look at.  Put roasted peanuts in a heavy duty blender and blend away.  Add oil if necessary.  This needed some oil, so I added flax oil.  I found it a bit strong so next time I think I'll try walnut oil, I think, or some other lighter healthy oil.

Actually, I keep wanting the family to skip the peanut butter and just use almond butter, but it keeps showing up in the house (I don't purchase most of the groceries!)  I admit to eating my fair share, but I know it isn't healthy for us so I'd rather us be eating other types of nut butters.  I think I'm going to try a blend of different nuts and seeds, as I've tried some at the farmers' markets and really like them, and think they are packed with dense nutrition.

Anybody out there got a good recipe for a mixed nuts/seeds butter spread?   Preferably raw.  I'd love to hear about it.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

From Cape Breton


Uncle Kevin
Aunty Joanne


They are out west, thawing from the cold winter of Cape Breton, and were able to come over to the Island to visit for a few days.  It was really nice to see them again.  The children adore both them, miss them immensely and are often asking when we'll be able to go back out to Cape Breton to visit them.

Some day, maybe.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Update on My Brother

For those of you who don't know, my 49yo brother became ill with headaches & loss of memory suddenly in Sept 2010, and was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.  He was given 3 months to live if those chose no treatment.  And with allopathic treatments (ie, rad & chemo) he was given a 50% chance to survive 12-14 months.

He had brain surgery in Oct, took radiation along with chemo until Christmas, and has been taking rounds of chemo since then.

His recent CT-scan says "there is no residual sign of the tumour".

We are thrilled at this news.

He does not feel well.  He continues on with chemo for another 4 rounds.
He suffers with his memory and cognitive abilities, besides other things.  But I suppose, what does one expect when you've had brain surgery, been bombarded with radiation and ingest chemotherapy?

Their family is "cautiously optimistic".



 

Monday, March 21, 2011

In Light of The Past Week

What a devastation in Japan.  Words can't express what many feel for the loss.  Pictures make my heart pain, my eyes water, my mouth drop open.  What can one say?  My heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones, lost homes, lost whole communities, lost faith in those whom they trusted. 



As shocked as we are in the west to hear of Japan's devastation, we move on with our lives.  To blog even seems so.......disrespectful.  So......insignificant.  But the reality is we don't have the rubble and the mud and dead bodies and the radiated water & food to deal with.  We have concern.  We can send aid. Some people can physically go and help, either immediately or in the future (or both).  But for most of us, we continue on with life as we basically know it.  Somehow effected by world events but otherwise Same-Old.

Van Gogh



This week a fair share of my attention has been focused on what's been happening concerning the Fukishima nuclear plant in Japan and keeping abreast of news coming out of there.  News seemed to change once Obama basically told the US citizens "Don't Worry; Be Happy.  Watch the news and go on with life because we're all safe and sound."  But I still keep abreast of the news thru Natural News.  Independent news.  I like that.



I suppose in a sense, we have gone on with Life As Normal (in the shadow of the heartbreak for the Japanese).  'Life is Educational' is our philosophy, so we talked about earthquakes, tsunamis, nuclear power plants, iodine, sea vegetables, contamination, radioactive particles binding with cells in our body, geography, jet streams, miracles, etc.  A real hodge-podge!

Trying to deal with the news at hand in a non-fear-mongering way can be a challenge, particularly when sharing that news with a wide age-span of children. I didn't want the children to be fearful, or have their sleep disturbed (so far so good).  We wanted to cover the news and evaluate our family's preparedness in case of a catastrophe.  Hopefully things will get under hand in Fukishima, Japan.  Yet, that won't eliminate possible nuclear or other types of catastrophes, both natural and man-produced, that any of us can succumb to.   Are we prepared in case of those?  Some fore-thought is better than ignorance and/or panic.  Panic really serves nobody well.  If anything it is more detrimental than beneficial.

I don't know about you, but I don't look to my own government for the well-being of my family, and I most certainly don't look to the US government for sound advice. I think we ought to grow up knowing to take care of ourselves and others, rather than expecting some other identity to do that for us.  I've heard over and over that by the time we are forty years old, we should have gathered enough information so that we are able to take care of ourselves.  That means we should know enough about how our own body works, how to mend it, how to deal with injury, how to fend for ourselves.  And know how to assess a real emergency.

CHEERS, to taking Responsibility


Sunday, March 20, 2011

Zero-waste California Home

I Love this article. Simple living, very little garbage or recycle. How to lower our negative impact on the world and live simply.

Zero-waste California home - Photos - Sunset.com

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Indoor Composting

Take two Rubbermaid boxes, one lid.  Drill holes in the bottom of one of the boxes (we did it in the bigger box so it can hold more wastes) and a few in the side of the box within a couple of inches of the bottom.  Also drill some aerating holes in the lid.  Mitchell drilled 9 in the lid.

Everette put 4 fair sized rocks on the bottom box to help keep the upper box from settling too far down.  This is to leave room in the bottom box to receive 'soup', the sloppy wet stuff you don't want the earthworms and compost to be swimming in.
Big fat juicy earthworms Everette found while digging up dirt to add to the Rubbermaid to introduce micro-organisms.  By the time I thought to take photos, the hundred or so worms had already dispersed throughout the box, burrowing down through the layers hiding from the light.

Shredded newspapers (no coloured ink) were spread on the bottom of the box, dampened.  Then a layer of compost with some earth was put on top of that.  Repeated.  Topped with dampened, shredded newspaper.

Toveli is adding fresh compost material from the kitchen.
Put the lid on top and its complete.

We'll let you know how it turns out, and if we have any issues with odours or bugs.