Posted on 2nd September 2010 by Mish in food
mark sisson, primal blueprint, primal diet, primal eating
I’ve been eating pretty strictly recently, but have found that I’m eating more than ever before. I’ve also lost a bunch of weight – although I have much more to go – and am enjoying my food choices. It’s taken some realigning of my thinking, though. Eating primally essentially means to rid your diet of refined foods – including grains. I have not eaten any bread, cereal, oatmeal, cookies or other refined items in about a month. I’ve caved a couple of times – I had a bun with a burger last weekend (and felt sick after) and ate the crust of Kiara’s PB and J, just because I wanted to. I caved on homemade pizza too, because we make killer pizza. Not sure if I’m ready to give up that one. Have to find a replacement for the crust. Any suggestions?
My biggest struggles have been getting rid of hot cocoa in my coffee in the morning. I’ve reduced it, but haven’t eliminated it and getting rid of dessert at night – although I have done really well with this and have had maybe one bowl of ice cream and a couple of ice cream bars on really hot nights with the kids. I love ice cream, it’s my hardest treat to give up. I have had zero problem not indulging in cookies or brownies or whatever – but ice cream is killer for me.
I eat some fruit, but not a ton. I generally cook a few eggs and some bacon if we have it for breakfast. If I get hungry mid-morning, which is rare, I eat a handful of nuts or some trail mix with dried blueberries and goji berries. At lunch I try to eat a salad with salmon or chicken, hard-boiled eggs and avocado. Last night for dinner, I had a great burger John cooked, smothered in sauted onions and mushrooms with mozz cheese on top. It was amazing and I didn’t miss the bun at all!
I was such a bread lover that I never thought I could learn to eat this way, but it’s not nearly as hard as I thought.
The best thing about eating primally is that I am able to eat as much as I want, yet I actually feel less hungry than I did before. I have more energy overall and am working out and “playing” more than I did. Rather than killing myself, and my knee, by trying to run and walk for miles, I am enjoying leisurely walks and sprint workouts. I even get the kids in on it by racing them!
My best resource so far has been Mark’s Daily Apple. It’s a wealth of resources and encouragement. I highly recommend checking it out – I haven’t seen definition in my arms and legs for about 7 years at least, now. All of a sudden, my muscles are starting to make an appearance again and my pants are – dare I say it – loose!
I have had some interesting side effects while exploring this new lifestyle – I will share more later!
Technorati Tags: mark sisson, primal blueprint, primal diet, primal eating
Posted on 1st September 2010 by Mish in homeschool | unschool
homeschool, homeschooling, radical unschooling, unschool, unschooling
“School-days, I believe, are the unhappiest in the whole span of human existence. They are full of dull, unintelligible tasks, new and unpleasant ordinances, brutal violations of common sense and common decency. It doesn’t take a reasonably bright boy long to discover that most of what is rammed into him is nonsense, and that no one really cares very much whether he learns it or not.” -H. L. Mencken
This quote makes me think about the argument against unschooling that says, “children need to learn how to do things that are boring or things they don’t like because that’s life!”
What a sad way to think of the world. I believe that just by living life, children learn that sometimes you have to do unpleasant tasks, but if they are in the context of an overall joyful life, then it doesn’t matter. For example, I’m a writer and I like to make my living by writing. I enjoy it and the research that goes along with it. Sometimes, I have to write about boring things or things I don’t necessarily enjoy, but I know that if I want to get paid, continue to support my family as a writer and have all of the freedoms that go along with that, then I need to write about running shoes sometimes. Kids don’t need to be subjected to boredom and menial tasks day after day for years to learn this.
If they are allowed to find the things they enjoy, explore their passions and learn at their own pace while living life, this is something they will do naturally. When you’re doing something you love, doing the “grunt” work that comes along with it doesn’t seem so bad. I love having kids and while changing diapers or cleaning up other unpleasant messes isn’t appealing, I do it because I love my children – I didn’t have to learn how in a school!
Technorati Tags: homeschool, homeschooling, radical unschooling, unschool, unschooling
Posted on 29th August 2010 by Mish in homeschool | unschool
homeschooling, large families, radical unschooling, unschool, unschooling
I’ve recently visited a number of websites that have inspired me and given me excellent tools and resources for homeschooling. Here’s a list. If you have a website that helps you with your homeschooling routine or just inspires you to muddle through on some of those “not so great” days, then let me know – I’m happy to add it!
Almighty Dad This is a really good site that, while a little more curriculum-based in the homeschooling area than I am, has excellent resources. Keith is also a good writer and his posts are funny and informative. I also love that he’s not afraid to tell you his real opinion (I think!) about what has worked for his family and what hasn’t.
Sandra Dodd Her whole site is just amazing and constantly reinforces my belief that my children will learn, I just have to provide the conditions for it. Which often means backing off instead of plunging in and forcing things to happen – especially important now that my 5-year-old is learning to read. He’s doing so much on his own, but I feel like I have to get in there and help him out and “teach” him something. Really, I know, I need to leave him be…I’m trying. Sandra’s site is unschooling world. Any question you can think of is likely answered here! And just so you know, Sandra’s three kids were unschooled their whole lives, are all now “grown-ups,” and making their way in the world just fine.
Free Homeschooling 101 A great site full of links and ideas of ways to home/unschool for free. Unless noted, everything on the site is free and helps even old homeschooling moms like me see that you don’t have to spend money to educate a child!
Unschooling Rules Clark Aldrich writes: “This blog, whose name is both an oxymoron and a double entendre, seeks to identify and frame some of the guidelines that these home and unschoolers are uncovering in childhood education. To do this, Unschooling Rules is organized by The Seven C’s of Education.”
Life Learning Magazine is a whole magazine dedicated to unschooling. It’s a support-system for self-directed learning and, according to publisher Wendy Priesnitz, you can “read all about how other people just like you and your children have learned without being taught…what helps and what hinders, and what they have achieved in their lives as a result. Laugh, cry and identify with parents who are helping themselves and their children learn from the real world…and learning a lot about themselves along the way. Think about how we are limited by a society that believes in coercive education…and how we can transcend those limits in our daily lives. Find support and reassurance for interest-based, learner-directed education (for all ages) and non-coercive, natural parenting.”
Explore these websites and you’re bound to find even more!
Technorati Tags: homeschooling, large families, radical unschooling, unschool, unschooling
Posted on 21st August 2010 by Mish in family | frugal
frugal, living simply, saving money, simple life, simple living, spending, voluntary simplicity
We’ve had a little bout of consumerism here lately and it’s starting to drive me a little nuts. When we first moved to the city, I thought it would be great. No, really, I did. How fabulous not to have to drive an hour to go to the grocery store! How wonderful that we can go to lots of festivals and fairs and see and do things we couldn’t do before! How amazing that there is a bookstore full of homeschool items practically right around the corner. Simply divine that there’s a convenience store nearby so I don’t have to buy 7 or 10 gallons of milk at once.
Oh how wrong I was. What I wouldn’t give for the days when it took an hour to get to a grocery store. When I only went to the “big city” once a month to stock up on supplies. When I purchased most of our homeschool books online because it was easier to have them delivered.
Suddenly, I seem to be in stores as much as once a day for things we absolutely “need.” And my kids are starting to get the gimmes because of it. I have fallen back into old traps of getting them “just one treat” or just one thing – just because we’re there. It dawned on me just how much I am losing my way.
We we’ve been to no fewer than 10 various festivals and fairs this summer and my wallet is aching because of it. Every single journey was considered a “learning” experience but what am I teaching about our core values if I keep forking over $100 just to get into some of these events? Even going to yard sales has become an exercise in consumerism lately – granted, it’s recycled consumerism – but still! The kids always thinking that going to a yard sale is an entitlement to another toy or game. And because they’re cheap – I buy them. Now, don’t get me wrong, what I consider to be spend-thrifty, most people will probably laugh at. But even my new tendency to curb pick and get things off Free-cycle seems a little materialistic to me. What exactly do I need all of this stuff for? I fear it’s to fill a big house and to replace the things I know I’m missing in my life.
But they’re just things. And I’m getting a little tired of them.
Whether or not we choose to move to Alaska and live out our rural dream, right now I have to refocus and double my efforts to remember what living simply means. We’ve done well in reducing our main expenses, but I’d like to see our miscellaneous spending stop and start focusing on saving more. Just because we spend our money frugally or pack a lunch to go to a gazillion dollar fair, doesn’t mean we’re living simply – it just means we’re trying to get more for less. And the point, after all, is to be more and have less.
Technorati Tags: frugal, living simply, saving money, simple life, simple living, spending, voluntary simplicity
Posted on 19th August 2010 by Mish in food
christian weight loss, eating well, God-Given Diet, losing weight, primal diet, Weight loss
As you know, I don’t own a scale, so I popped on the doctor’s office scale today while at my youngest’s 1 year check-up. I was at the same office last week too for Alex’s diabetes follow-up, so I weighed in. In the last week, I’ve lost 5 lbs, staying on my primal, God-given diet. Yay! I still have quite a bit to go, as I was very overweight, but it’s nice to see it’s working and I am feeling better overall.
I’ve changed my diet over to a pretty low-carb diet. Basically, I’ve banished all refined flour and sugar products. I no longer eat bread, oatmeal, sugar or other grain products. No cakes. No bagels. A little painful, I must admit! I’ve also eliminated potatoes and corn because of the starch. Not everyone does this, but I’m looking for optimal weight loss! I’m really overweight, so I need to make some drastic moves. Some people on similar “primal” diets recommend eliminating fruit, but I haven’t gone that far. I figure I can do without a sandwich, but I can’t do without a peach. Not to mention the fact that God gave us peaches in season, so I should eat them!
So, what do I eat? Well, a lot of stuff.
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Technorati Tags: christian weight loss, eating well, God-Given Diet, losing weight, primal diet, Weight loss
Posted on 18th August 2010 by Mish in family
It’s been difficult for me to write here lately because frankly I feel like I’m at an impasse in my life. We made this big decision to move to the city (well, it was kind of made for us, but I was all for it) and I’m trying hard to like it. There are a few things I do like. I love that the library is across the street – literally. That’s very cool. I love that we have a huge park with a playground across the street. I love that once in a while John and I can walk to a local bar and get a drink and have an hour or two alone. It’s rare, but it happens.
But I have to be honest…except for the ability to walk to a lot of places, I kinda hate it. I hate the cars driving past all of the time. I’m a bit of a hermit and I hate sitting in my yard and people staring at me as they drive or walk by. Some people are nice and I talk to a few of them, but I’m pretty embarrassed and self-conscious anyway and having people watch me watching my kids is unnerving. I hate listening to everyone’s lawnmower all of the time. And yes, things would be better with a fence or hedges or whatever, but it’s still there.
I can’t stand looking at the huge stores, the bank and the convenience store all of the time. And while there is a ton of stuff to do around here, it all costs money. Money I rarely have. And that annoys the bejeezus out of me.
I long for the homeschooling days when we spent our time feeding chickens and sheep, working on outside projects or just running around in the yard. I feel like such a consumer here. Even a simple trip to the zoo, which is cool, is like a $50 trip for us.
I loved our life in Vermont and if it hadn’t been for all of the family strings, we would have stayed forever. Unfortunately, we didn’t have that option. And going back isn’t an option either–for some reason the state of Vermont believes their real estate is worth about 10 times as much as everyone else’s!
But what would we do if we lived elsewhere? Wouldn’t I have the same problems somewhere else? I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe I’m just being wishy-washy again. Maybe it’s just my nature to be unhappy where I am. If I just sucked it up and found the joy in being present I wouldn’t hate it so much.
So what, exactly is wrong with me? Why have I always had a desire to live in Alaska and be self-sufficient? Why can’t I enjoy easy heat on the wall and easy food at the store? I can’t explain it. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do. I know people think I’m crazy. And there are a million reasons for me to just stay here in my big house with my big yard and enjoy my little urban life. Why do I have to want more? It’s beyond me. I’m sure my husband thinks I’m crazy. I should just be happy being a housewife and staying home in my nice house and taking care of kids. Why would I want things to be harder?
I have no answers except that I just do. I feel bored here and soulless. Like I’m just going through the motions of living life and not really living it. Does that make any sense at all?
Posted on 8th August 2010 by Mish in activism
stealing from the poor
We have a new blog up. I don’t know how long we’ll do it, but we got really frustrated watching people steal things from the St. Vincent de Paul donation bin across the street. They will take anything! This is stuff you seriously can buy at St. Vincent de Paul for pennies on the dollar – and the money goes to charity. We buy from them all of the time. It makes me so sad when people take things they don’t need (no one NEEDS a wicker settee set) and keep the money from going to a really worthwhile charity.
So, check out some of the pics – laugh a bit – and if you feel like it, donate to St. Vinnie’s. We’re trying to recoup some of their losses. The money goes to St. Vinnie’s and their food pantry Paul’s Pantry. Not that we’ve collected any yet…but tell your friends. Send us your pics of people stealing stuff from the poor. We’ll post them. Follow us on twitter too – @stealingfrmpoor
Thanks!
Mish
Technorati Tags: stealing from the poor
Posted on 7th August 2010 by Mish in miscellaneous
dogsled, dogsledding, Iditarod, Lance Mackey, mushing, yukon quest
Anyone who knows me knows I’m a huge fan of the sport of mushing.
I fervently waited for my copy of Lance Mackey’s book, The Lance Mackey Story
, to arrive at my door. When it did, I dove in and couldn’t stop reading.
Of course, as an avid fan of both the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest, I knew all about Lance Mackey’s 4 wins in the Quest and then 4 wins in the Iditarod. Not only did he win these two amazing races 4 times in a row each, in 2007 and 2008 he won both the Iditarod and the Quest back to back. The Yukon Quest takes place in February, the Iditarod, in March…with scarcely two weeks between the two.
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Technorati Tags: dogsled, dogsledding, Iditarod, Lance Mackey, mushing, yukon quest
Posted on 4th August 2010 by Mish in frugal | green | health
chemicals in plastics, frugal, Glass Bottles, green, health, healthy kids, mason jars, phthalates, plastics, water bottles
I love my Mason Jars. Because of information I’ve been reading lately about the different chemicals in plastics, including phthalates, I’ve started switching most of our food storage and drink ware to glass (a tough decision to make with little kids in the house). I now use a Mason jar to drink out of everywhere. I put my coffee in it in the morning sometimes as it retains heat well, put my water in it all day and can put a lid on it and take it with me on our walks or other outings. Sometimes I feel like an old mountain man drinking moonshine out of a jar, but that feeling usually passes quickly!
Mom’s “jar of water” is now a frequent – and much sought after – site in the bottom of the stroller, especially on a hot day. I’ve also started saving smaller jelly jars for the kids to use. While buying jelly in the smaller jars isn’t the most frugal thing we could do, I buy the “simply fruit” brands because they don’t contain HFCS and because Alex needs a lesser carb count (he’s a Type-1 Diabetic).
So constantly reusing a Mason jar reduces the number of Phthalates we’re exposed to, reduces the amount of disposable cups and bottles (plastic) we use, and keeps me from wasting water washing out 400 hundred cups everyday (it sometimes seems like that!).
It bums me out a little that I constantly miss out on major product reviews and other money-making opportunities on my blog because I don’t ask my readers to buy a new thingy that will make them more frugal, healthy or green. So many blogs I see say – “You can be green and frugal, just buy this thing!” Oh well. I just don’t see the point. Just use common sense. Grab an old Mason jar. Put a lid on it. Use it. Cheap, simple, healthy and green. You can also use larger jars to store dry food and leftovers.
Here’s more info about Phthalates:
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Technorati Tags: chemicals in plastics, frugal, Glass Bottles, green, health, healthy kids, mason jars, phthalates, plastics, water bottles
Posted on 2nd August 2010 by Mish in homeschool | unschool
homeschooling, unschooling, unschooling math
Liam has struggled for years with math. I tried for many years to force him to do it. We spent hours, weeks, months trying all kinds of homeschool curriculum. I sent him to school, hoping they could do something because he just didn’t get it. He would stare at a worksheet forever. He wouldn’t even try sometimes. Other times he would just get upset. Finally, about two years ago, I gave up. I decided that God made calculators for a reason and left him alone for a while.
This morning, I gave Liam a piece of paper with some multiplication problems on it. He wanted to learn some harder math, so I said we had to go back to some of the basics. He’s older now, so I thought perhaps he would be mature enough to not get frustrated. I figured we’d have to start from square one. We didn’t. He completed a full page of multiplication and division problems in about 3 minutes with little help from me.
It’s not like we haven’t done math stuff, though. We play plenty of math-related games; Liam cooks a lot following recipes; and he’s always figuring stuff out with his dad – whether it’s a weather thing, an astronomy thing or a carpentry project. We just haven’t forced him to sit down and “do math.”
His interest was piqued, I believe, because Alex got a big, new Algebra book in the mail recently. Alex likes math, is good at it and is working towards getting into college – so this is something he includes in his day. To be honest, because of Liam’s learning disabilities and the inability of even “special educators” to help him “get” some academic subjects, I thought we would just be happy with the basics. But Liam and the unschooling process have surprised me once again!
All of that cooking and talking and playing and doing really does work. He just got it this time. I should have trusted it all along…but until you see the gears turn in person, I think sometimes we wonder if we’re doing the right thing…at least I do. The best part? I haven’t had to cajole, force, or holler my way through a math lesson in a long time. Learning doesn’t have to be proven on a worksheet for it to happen. But it’s nice to see, once in a while, that it does…
Technorati Tags: homeschooling, unschooling, unschooling math
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