Day 149 of gratitude, My Vitamix, Cauliflower Chickpea Tacos

I'm grateful for my Vitamix. Besides making my delicious smoothies daily, it reduces my workload in the kitchen. Over the weekend I made potato pancakes for Alex's party (my Mom's favorite...not that she got to have any, long story). Last time Mom and I made them was 1990 something because we hand grated them, which takes forever if you're making a lot. I managed to make up he batter in about 10 minutes or as long as it took me to peel 1.5 lbs of potatoes. My vitamix did the rest. 

Today, I made slaw for a recipe and did that in about 5 minutes or however long it take to cut up cabbage into chunks. 

Recipe, if you're interested: 

http://www.shelikesfood.com/1/post/2014/08/bbq-cauliflower-chickpea-tacos-creamy-lime-slaw-gfv.html

Day 146, 147, and 148 of gratitude!

Sunday was Alex's 2nd birthday. I'm so grateful he made me a mama. Im grateful he's sweet, gentle, kind, and compassionate. Our lives continue to change because he's a part of it and I wouldn't want it any other way. The love that continues to expand my heart since his birth into this world is indescribable. I am so grateful for his presence. 

I'm grateful I was brave enough (for me....I used to be so afraid of everything, which really was me not trusting myself) to have him at home, no vaccinations, and having a midwife care during my pregnancy. I used to wonder if I'd chicken out IF I ever had kids. No is the answer to that. 

                             

                  

                                    

I'm grateful for Matt. During the times I feel like I'm coming unglued, he helps to hug me back together. We can stay up half the night talking for hours about everything and anything. He makes me laugh and we challenge eachother to open up and take on new experiences. Our relationship has grown so much over the last 13 years and I'm grateful for how much I've grown while being a part of it. 

I'm grateful I somehow managed to make a pesto veggie minestrone in record time today for my babe who has a fever and seemed not to be feeling well (off and on). 

Day 145 of gratitude (1/30) Turtle Dance

I'm grateful for events at our community library and people like "Mr. Matt" who aspire to better the lives of children by introducing them to cool music, being playful, fun, and pulling them out of their shell. Heck, I got pulled out of my shell for a public forum and I have to say I was not alone. Many of the parents were belly laughing through most of the performance. Play  is important no matter what age!!!

Check out the website:  http://www.turtledancemusic.com

Day 144 of gratitude and Young Living

I'm grateful for finding Young Living in my quest to find the best essential oils for myself and my family.  I'm grateful that while they may be a corporation (not usually my cup of tea), they treat me like I'm family. All. The. Time. 

This particular time, they sent out oils in my Essential Rewards order before I'd had a chance to update it to reflect new choices for the month. Not only did they credit me back the funds, but they also asked me to keep the oils they sent in error as a token of their sincerest apologies for the mix up (longer story to it than what I posted here, but bottom line is they are awesome!!). 

One of the oils I received, Norther Lights Black Spruce, happens to be the oil of the month!!!!

Check it out:

What I got for FREE:

I have read these can be used to help support finding purpose and harmony (chamomile) and to help ground (spruce). I'm excited to start working these into my self care and on my clients! 

Day 142 & 143 of gratitude with my Mom and Yoga with a Nursing Toddler!

I'm grateful for time spent with my Mom, as each day is a blessing that she's here. I'm grateful Alex loves going to visit her, which is what we did yesterday afternoon.

I'm grateful for yoga and breastfeeding and both together!!!

                               

Day 140 & 141 of gratitude!

Yesterday was HARD! All I can say is, I'm grateful I know there is a lesson in all this, and thoughts that no longer serve me or others can be discarded. 

We weren't officially free to leave our snow entrapment until today when the plows finally came. While we had our cars dug out, our spot in relation to the exit was completely blocked by a 7 foot mountain, which was also about 7 feet deep and hard packed snow. That means we were "trapped" for 3 days. That was enough to trigger the stuffing out of me, apparently. The caged in feeling and helplessness (because we dug and dug and dug and we still weren't quite in the clear) and depending on someone else....whoa!!!! Quite the lesson in letting go and I did not rise up to the occasion. I find myself today almost "should-ing", but I've stopped that in trade of loving myself through it. That's the only thing there is to do, especially knowing when our past dictates the cycle of abuse the only way through it without repeat is finding new ways to cope and self love. 

Today, I am grateful for a short ride to the store to pick up a couple items and time outside sledding, building snow families, and playing with our neighbor friends. I'm grateful for fun messes and keeping my life moving forward. Small steps are better than no steps. 

Gratefully yours, 

Joanna Rose

      

Day 138, 139, and 140 of gratitude! Plus, Snow storm bonus.

Pre snow storm (Friday):

I'm grateful for really quick trips to the grocery store at 5pm on a Friday the day before a huge snow storm. Around here, if I leave to go to the store most days anywhere near 5 I'm looking at a good 45-60min round trip for a "quick stop" at the store. We were there and back in less than 15 minutes.

I'm grateful for my husband for going out in shifts during the storm to keep the snow low, so we had very little to do today (in comparison- I was still out there for 2 hours today). 

I'm grateful for strong legs and arms, and kicking major *ss shoveling and then taking our dog for a jog (I haven't jogged in an embarrassingly long period of time).

I'm grateful for creating safe spaces for myself to process and for long term friendships that ARE ACTUALLY safe spaces for me to be who I am without judgement, but not only that.....being celebrated for who I am!!! Thanks R ❤️

I'm grateful for the beautiful lessons of snowstorm energy (yes, there is a different energy just like everything else) and the awareness of it. It was somewhat painful, but I stuck with it. 

My beautiful boy who wouldn't keep his gloves on, but screamed bloody murder because he hands were cold. 

Day 136 & 137 of gratitude & Petroleum Food Dyes and Your Health

I'll be honest, I don't even remember the details of yesterday to remember what I was grateful for exactly. I can guess since I was thinking just moments ago how it's been nice this week that Alex is really all of a sudden being affectionate. He's always been a snuggler and I've had the random kisses here and there, and more often hugs. Even raspberry kisses in spurts.  But this week, every single night before bedtime, he gives me repeated kisses and hugs and doesn't want to let go. I love it so so much! 

Today I'm grateful for being very conscious of how I like to eat when I'm relaxed vs. how I eat when I'm hurried and have agendas all day long (so really being with the flow vs. acting as though I'm in control). When I'm relaxed I graze in very small amounts about 6 times a day and eat much less. When I try to structure meals I eat more at one sitting and definitely more throughout the day. Even though I give props to healthy eating choices 90% of the time, I can say I eat even healthier when relaxed. Lighter. 

What are you grateful for each day? I'd love for you to share in the comments below. 

I'm also compelled to share this link about petroleum food dyes because I know many people still use petroleum products on their kids and in their families. Please reconsider this as you become more aware of your own health and all the choices you make. It matters. I like this gal's information because it's very thorough on the subject. Check out 10 Places Petroleum Food Dyes Hide in Your Home here:

http://www.diefooddye.com/2012/06/27/10-places-petroleum-food-dyes-hide-in-your-home/

Day 134 and 135 of gratitude!!!

Yesterday, it came full circle, as far as my awareness of the lesson goes. I'm grateful for all the (there have been 3 over the last 6 years) friends who've walked away because I was "too negative, too angry, too much, too communicative"! It's because of them that I have become the best friend to myself I've always wanted. It's because of them that I have myself walked away from people who weren't serving me, growing me, or "making" me happy (no one can make me feel any which way). And it's because of them that I see red flags way sooner now. So, to the friends who weren't capable , at the time, of holding space for me, thank you for helping me learn! I'm thankful for your presence in my life for the time you were there. 

As for today, I'm grateful the day is over and I stole away some time just for me. I need the recharge often to stay on top of my game. And power naps are under rated. I took a 20 minute one today since I was exhausted from 3 hours of sleep I got last night (teething!!!), and it recharged me to bust out all my afternoon activities in a way I didn't expect. 

Verbosely yours, 

Joanna Rose 😜

                                             

     

                   

   

  

Day 132 and 133 of gratitude and Putting People on Pedastals

Day 132: I'm grateful for the second big purge, which emptied all the stuff that came with us from our old house. We're now down to furniture to either be sold, gifted, or saved (our retro kitchen table and Alex's dresser) and clothing, my cedar chest of pictures and mementos, and books. 

Day 133: I'm grateful for today's daily Om. This has been a lesson that keeps stripping away over the last years. Does it resonate with you?

Putting People on a Pedestal
Allowing Our Loved Ones to Be Human

by Madisyn Taylor 

When you put somebody on a pedestal it is giving away your power and saying you are not good enough.

When we fall in love with someone or make a new friend, we sometimes see that person in a glowing light. Their good qualities dominate the foreground of our perception and their negative qualities. They just don’t seem to have any. This temporary state of grace is commonly known as putting someone on a pedestal. Often times we put spiritual leaders and our gurus on pedestals. We have all done this to someone at one time or another, and as long as we remember that no one is actually “perfect,” the pedestal phase of a relationship can be enjoyed for what it is—a phase. It’s when we actually believe our own projection that troubles arise. 

Everyone has problems, flaws, and blind spots, just as we do. When we entertain the illusion that someone is perfect, we don’t allow them room to be human, so when they make an error in judgment or act in contradiction to our idea of perfection, we become disillusioned. We may get angry or distance ourselves in response. In the end, they are not to blame for the fact that we idealized them. Granted, they may have enjoyed seeing themselves as perfect through our eyes, but we are the ones who chose to believe an illusion. If you go through this process enough times, you learn that no one is perfect. We are all a combination of divine and human qualities and we all struggle. When we treat the people we love with this awareness, we actually allow for a much greater intimacy than when we held them aloft on an airy throne. The moment you see through your idealized projection is the moment you begin to see your loved one as he or she truly is. 

We cannot truly connect with a person when we idealize them. In life, there are no pedestals—we are all walking on the same ground together. When we realize this, we can own our own divinity and our humanity. This is the key to balance and wholeness within ourselves and our relationships.