Modern Hippie

So I've come to the conclusion that I've become a hippie. No, not the kind that doesn't shower and smokes a lot of pot; the kind that is involved in the earth, playing a part in the production of food, and trying to keep things as holistic as possible.

I firmly believe that Mother Nature gave us all of the tools we need to mend our bodies right here in the earth. I believe that there is a LOT of healing power in foods and herbs, as long as you know how to use them.  I believe that chickens who are allowed to roam all day, foraging for bugs and eating weeds not only lay healthier eggs (or are better for meat, if you raise chickens for that), but they give back to the earth as well in the form of pest control, nutrient-dense fertilizer, and when they dig in the soil they aid in the composting process.

I was vegan for about a year, when I was 18. I did it more as a protest against large food corporations, and because I felt that eating animals that have suffered their whole lives wasn't healthy. I mean think about it, you're eating pain, suffering, and loneliness. Not to mention loads of antibiotics, feces, and I'm sure parts of other animals, since over crowding leads to cannibalism. You are what you eat. When I was vegan, I also made it a point to wean off of my anti-depressants and to stop using pharmaceutical drugs. I never felt better in my whole life! I had so much energy, I could think clearer, and I just felt great. Unfortunately, being vegan is very hard in today's society, especially when you have a husband who loves meat. BUT I've come to the conclusion that it wasn't about the lack of meat and animal by-products in my diet that made me feel good; it was the lack of processed foods, of chemically dyed and enhanced food, of beverages created in a laboratory... I guess you could say it was a lack of "fake" food that made me feel so good.

I've shifted my way of thinking. I'm sure there's a technical term for what I am, but I'm going to call myself a "naturalist". I believe I need to make an effort to live as "organically" as possible. I don't mean organic as in food labels, I mean the real definition of organic:

or·gan·icAdjective/ôrˈganik/

1. Of, relating to, or derived from living matter: "organic soils"

I believe I need to live from the earth. To grow food with my own hands, to spend time mending my own soil, and to make sure what I eat is of the earth, not of beakers and test tubes. There is something so much more fulfilling about going out to your garden, picking a few vegetables, and chopping them up for that evenings salad vs. filling up a bag at the grocery store. Or the noticeable difference in the yolks of the eggs from backyard chickens vs. the ones who spend their life in a crate with no sunlight.

As Deborah Madison put it so well in this article,  there really is a "difference between merely feeding and really nourishing ourselves"

My adventures in couponing...

I really admire the people on TLC's show, Extreme Couponing. Somehow they manage to purchase thousands of dollars of merchandise for only a few bucks. I have tried to dabble here and there, but I get lost with all of the rules, and now my favorite grocery store doesn't do double coupons...and it's just way to much work for me.

I have gotten really good at spotting deals, especially on meat, and stocking our entire freezer full to save us big $$ down the road. A few months back, I scored chicken breasts for 67cents/lb, and I bought 15 packages (all that would fit in the freezer). Each package was regularly priced at around $9, and I got them for about $2.50 each, so I essentially saved $97.50!  But those sales don't come around too often, and we have finally used up all of our chicken storage, and I'm left wishing I bought more at the time.

Last week, I lucked out and got a great deal on Axel's favorite Gerber snacks.

We scored all of these food items for $10!

Fry's is currently having a sale where if you buy 10 participating items, you can save 50cents off of each one, totaling $5 in savings. Each of these snack items are regularly priced at $2.90.  They were on a slight sale, but were also part of the "buy 10, save $5" deal.  Now for this deal to work, you could buy ANY of the participating items across the store, but I also had this coupon:

The bottom coupon is what I received at the end of the order for buying 10

Fry's had noticed that I buy a lot of these snacks, so they gave me a coupon at the register, offering me a coupon to use on a future order, depending on how many of the snacks I purchased in a week.  So I'm thinking, $5 off (of the sale price, not the original price), $4 future coupon if I buy ten...so I might as well buy ten!  THEN I found (not pictured) another Gerber snacks coupon - $1 off if you buy three or more.

I was ecstatic.   So I went up to the register, with my 10 snack items- regular priced total: $22.90.  After the sale and the coupons, they were $14, and if I include my $4 off coupon (for next order), the grand total was $10. I spent $10, and saved $12.90.  I love it when I save more than I spend! I rock. :)

Unfortunately, the stars have to be aligned just right to score this deal, so this doesn't happen very often. In the meantime, I look out for sales on our favorite non-perishable items (like Axel's juice), and try to stock up. It's hard when you have to stick to a budget, but I try to remind myself, I may be spending $30 just on juice right now, but I'm also saving $1 per bottle, and that will help in the long run.

So good luck to you, future deal-finders! And if you see an awesome deal on chicken breast, please don't leave me out of the loop! 

Wishing I could take the "working" out of the title of this blog...

I am torn. I love the fact that my company is growing, and we're making so many changes and adding new classes this fall, but today as I recalled my youth, I started having second thoughts.

When I was younger (around the age of 7), my family moved in with my Grandmother. My father had suddenly gotten very ill, and stopped working, so my mother was forced to continue her education so she could support her family. My mom worked her ass off; she went to school full time, stayed up all night doing homework, and worked double shift weekends so she could still pay the bills. As an adult, I am so proud of her. I cannot believe the strength it must have taken to accomplish all of that with a 7 year old AND an infant. As a child, it deeply saddened me to grow up without a Mom. I remember going through an awkward stage where my father dressed me for school, in XL tee-shirts, and baggy jeans and the kids making fun of me, saying I looked like a lesbian. (note: not that there's anything wrong with that, but to an elementary school kid, anything different is THE END OF THE WORLD).  I remember not having any one to teach me about hair and makeup and boys... I remember when my mom started going to the gym to allow her some "me-time" and I cried saying she never had any time for me. I remember Easters and Christmases where everyone in the family got together, and all of my cousins had their Moms, but mine had to work. And I remember the time my Mom did have to spend with us, she was always stressed out trying to make ends meet.  Don't get me wrong, I do not in any way, shape, or form blame my mother, but I've always vowed that I don't want that for Axel. I remember when my mom had announced that she had finished school, I asked her "Does this mean you get to be a stay at home mommy now?" and she laughed and said "No, honey, I went to school so I could work", and I was so confused. Why would she work so hard to get to work at a place away from her babies? Didn't she love us? My little 7 year old brain couldn't wrap itself around the concept.

I remember a few weeks ago, someone telling me that my load would lighten and I would have more time to focus on working when Axel started Pre-School or Kindergarten. (On a side note: we have been considering home schooling him, so we don't even know yet if he would be in public school. ) I had thought at the time "Finally, some peace and quiet to get things done, and I wont have to feel so guilty about taking him to a sitter."  But today I realized where I was mistaken:  I don't teach class during the day when kids are at school.  With the exception of maybe one or two appointments per month, all of my classes are on the weekends or at nights. Meaning Axel would spend all day at school, only to come home to see Mom for an hour, eat a quick meal, and then Mommy wouldn't be home until after he was tucked into bed. This thought immediately brought me to tears, as it is now, because I remember all the feelings of resentment I felt, and all of the loneliness. Now granted, a boy doesn't need his Mom as much as a daughter does, but still - eventually we would like to have more kids, and I am a FIRM believer that a Mom's role is to make the house a home, not to work. If someone said to me right now "Money will never be an issue, be the Mommy you want to be", I would devote my entire life to my kids. In fact, it KILLS me to see all of my friends working on their second baby, and I know I have to wait because my job doesn't come with maternity leave and I haven't yet found another trainer to help me out with the company. I would stop writing right this instant and get pregnant tomorrow if that were the case. (I'm sure Jeff wouldn't mind, lol!)

Again, don't get me wrong, I love training - I love my clients, and so on and so forth. But I love being a Mom so much more. I hate the business end of my job - the phone ringing constantly, the midnight hours spent doing paperwork... I hate that sometimes I get so overworked that I turn into a mean person. I love my son's smile, and his laugh, and everything new he learns every day. I want to be his soccer-mom, and spend my day making lunches, and taking him to his sports practice, and helping him out with his homework. I want to spend my day keeping the house tidy, walking the dogs, and making dinner for my husband. I want to be a wife and a mother, not give my job 110% and only have scraps left to give my family.