Drink Like You Give a Damn

On our quest to finding inner peace and balance in our often chaotic lives, enjoying a wine pitstop is a great way to reconnect with the earth, ourselves, and one another. But you can't help but wonder where does this grape juice come from? And what about the people who are picking the grapes, are they properly compensated? Etica Fair Trade Wine leaves nothing to chance, believing that Fair Trade is the best practice to creating sustainable livlihoods for all people equally, while working diligently to protect the environment. Chin Chin to these trendsetters, bottoms up!

Breathe

"You can live two months without food and two weeks without water, but you can only live a few minutes without air." Hung Yi-Hsiang, Taoist Master

Without thinking we are always breathing in and out. We breathe in oxygen-rich air and breathe out carbon dioxide (those pesky toxins). We usually do not even think of this basic instinct we have which is necessary for our survival.

In the book, "The Natural Health Bible" by Lisha Simester, it says most people in the West do not breathe deeply enough, which doesn't allow us to have optimum health. If we do not breathe correctly, our energy levels may be lower, we may have chronic fatigue, allergies, colds and many other problems. All because we may not be breathing properly (breathing too shallowly, too long or fast).

Breathing exercises can help us get through our most stressful situations. It provides support and mental clarity (think of those women who use deep slow breaths when giving birth).

Deep breathing is a practice that is a long-accepted fundamental technique in other countries, especially China and India. With more people including exercises such as yoga into their daily lives, the awareness of breathing is much more prevalent. However, because teaching breathing techniques is not a very common practice for most people, we have become bad at breathing. I know you're thinking - come on, another thing that we need to work on?! Yes! According to Simester, "Because we are not taught breathing techniques as part of our health education in the West, many people develop bad habits out of ignorance, combined with laziness."

The Chinese believe that correct breathing is vital for our important functions such as, blood pressure, stress reduction, and hormone secretions. Breathing correctly is the key to well being and longevity.

The book offers a couple of breathing exercises. I will include the simplest one:

Slowly inhale and exhale through the nose. With each breath, bring the air down to the diaphragm, allowing the stomach to expand with each inhalation, gently pulling in the abdomen.

Simple, right? Now try it. I really tried hard to focus on my breathing and noticed how my mood was lifted almost immediately. Yoga and Pilates are also great ways to practice breathing in a controlled environment. Try it out. Let me know how it works for you!

Finding a Way to Heal and Learning How to Deal With It

This is a guest post from a colleague, Shannon Galton, who is in public relations and an amazing and insightful yoga instructor. She is on the path of enlightenment and is working towards healing wounds from the past. Here are her words on why we should deal with issues head on and the affects of what can happen if we take an avoidance approach. May her words inspire you as they have me.

It took me all of 29 years to realize that we as human beings make ourselves suffer. Don’t get me wrong, it is obvious we do not enjoy suffering. Whether it is from a death, divorce or financial crisis, we generally do not enjoy being put through the ringer. But some of us do not face our problems the healthy way, which leads to more and more unhappiness.

Here’s the thing: so often is the case, that instead of facing our problem and working our way through it, we throw it back into our mind. We bury it. We trap it. We cover it up, continue on with life, and it gets stuck down there in our soul or our subconscious or wherever you want to believe it goes. And it stays there.

It would be one thing if the problem just stayed put (wow, would all of our problems be solved). But, that’s not the way it works. This problem soon becomes exacerbated. It thrives on not being dealt with, and it forces us to unconsciously make decisions for the rest of our lives in a different way. Whereas, if we would have dealt with the problem head first, we could potentially have avoided years of subconscious torment. Face it, whether you want to admit it or not, once you bury your problems and do not deal with them, they come out in other ways. They are not happy buried in your soul or your mind. They find a way to resurface. Six months or six years later, eventually, they resurface. And more often than not, they have resurfaced in a completely different shape and taken on a life of their own.

So now is the time to deal with your past, starting with the problems you have buried. We need to untrap the negative thoughts that have stemmed from a major area of trauma in our past lives. We all have them! Because whether we like it or not, the problems that delve under the surface become traumas. Once buried into our subconscious long enough, they change who we are, how we think and our decision-making process. Simply put, they make us unhappy. It might take a few years, but it happens.

Learn to be honest with yourself about the problems you have not dealt with. Meditation, counseling, yoga, journaling….unlock the potential of who you can be, simply by confronting your past and beginning the journey to heal. Your mind, body and soul will thank you.

"Bigger Picture"

We use our brain every day. We go to work or school, do our daily routines, tackle small obstacles, operate heavy machinery (our car), and we observe and make judgements.

What if we didn't just go through the motions everyday and simply used our MIND to understand the bigger picture of life? What if we didn't think of the (sometimes negative) little thoughts that occupy our minds that affect our relationships, our daily activity, our bodies and our outlook on life?

What if we thought "bigger picture". What is the "bigger picture"? I don't know, but I don't think it consists of us obsessing about our credit, what a person thought of us, that last 10, 20, 30 lbs we need to lose, whether or not the neighbor raked their leaves this weekend, etc.

These are my thoughts on bigger picture and our life's purpose:

-We are here to learn particular life lessons (more on how I feel about this in later posts)
-To help one another though our journeys (we are all going through life together, let's help one another out by encouraging and supporting one another)
-To treat people with kindness and respect
-To let others know they are loved by you
-To raise small minds to be as creative and expressive as possible
-To teach small children to love well (by loving them well and unconditionally)
-To inspire greatness in others
-To know that when we are doing something with our BEST INTENTIONS, our hearts will be bursting at the seams with love, pride and absolute joy.

This is possible. I know it is. We just need to trust ourselves and use our minds to look at the bigger picture. Let's stop thinking of the petty stuff and start thinking about the important stuff.

How do we do this? This is the journey that we are on. We will figure this out together, but I do know it's out there.

Feel free to share your thoughts on what the "bigger picture" means to you.

Hold on Tight, Girls!

Not me and my boyfriend!
Courtesy of Women's Health Magazine

Leafing through my November issue of Women's Health magazine "Have Amazing Sex All Month Long" stood before me on the glossy page. Of course I had to read further, a woman has needs after all! I was surprised to see a very thorough outline of a women's cycle, with all of the hormonal ebbs and flows. Are all women riding this roller coaster of hormones? After two years of taking, gulp, "The Pill" I couldn't help but feel a bit nostalgic for the creativity surge during ovulation and that reflective time before menstruation. My hormones have been at a steady baseline - sometimes I feel jealous when Ashley claims to be suffering from PMS. Looks like a classic case of the grass is always greener.

My mom is a pusher (in the most loving way) when it comes to books with a spiritual well-being premise, I often have a hard time keeping up with the stack on my nightstand, but was changed forever when I came across Dr. Christiane Northrup's Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom. After reading this book, I felt like I really understood my own body for the first time. I had an overwhelming sense of respect for myself as a woman, I feel proud.

Dr. Northrup goes to great lengths explaining what our bodies experience while on the pill - none of it being natural in any sense of the word. How do we balance the struggle of honoring our bodies while maintaining our needs? I guess we each need to answer that for ourselves.

The Important Stuff

It is easy (especially for me) to get caught up in our daily busyness. Sometimes my mounting list of to-do’s can overwhelm my list of done’s. Do those lists really serve us anyway? I was a little miffed when Zen Habits actually suggested that we ditch our lists. But then I decided to ditch mine after I realized that the important stuff wasn’t even on my list anyway. Breathe, call my mom, hug someone I love, smile. Here’s to the important stuff…

How could you not love that face? Not my dog, but I will definitely have an

English Bulldog (s) one day!

I adore my Louis XVI repro chair that I found at auction, my boyfriend,

and my horrifically large collection of fashion magazines...

I live in a studio and adore my bright blue walk-in closet!

Ashley and I took this pic while we were on a walk with the kids, it says so much.

My life has changed rather dramatically as of late and I am so grateful

that I am doing something that I love and able to do this with the people that I love.

I Want Candy!

I Want CandyHalloween is approaching and everyone is excited about their costumes, the parties, trick or treating, how they are going to decorate their homes, and of course what type of candy to pass out (oh, how we love Halloween!).

We came across a website that has "green" party decorations, favors, and goodies! YAY! Green Planet Parties is a one-stop site when it comes to planning an eco-friendly bash. So if you are having a Monster Mash of your own this year, you might want to think about heading to this site first to check out the latest in reusable decorations and cool party gear.

OUR HOUSE

Our House

Stress is a bad bad thing...
but we all have it. Every person is different on what they stress about and how it manifests in our mind and body. Stress happens to everyone - it doesn't matter what race you are, the financial situation you are in, your body type, the job you have, what your love life is like or whether or not your family is in turmoil. Stress causes some dangerous side effects such as bloating (gasp!), headaches (no thanks), body aches, irritability, constipation (eeeek!), lack of concentration, inability to have healthy relationships with others, high blood pressure (my dad), lack of sleep (have enough of that with two small kiddos), amongst many others. Stress can also lead to depression and anxiety, which can worsen the effects of illness and/or disease.

Studies show that we should not only find ways to reduce stress, but we need to figure out what brings us joy to feel our best. What makes you happy? In high school I made a list of what made me happy and I truly enjoyed the process. Try it one day if you find yourself worrying about something you just can't shake. The worst is when people worry about something that hasn't happened - something that could happen. Come on, don't we have enough on our plate? A serving of what could happen could only have a bad side affect. Some people find comfort in stressing out. I personally know someone who does that, my dad, which is the reason why finding ways to reduce stress and creating happiness in my life are things I feel very strongly about. Anyway, realizing ways that bring happiness to our lives will allow us to be grateful for what we have. Being grateful might be the KEY to leading a happier life with less stress.

One "being-grateful" exercise I did recently was I took pictures of everything around my house that made me happy. Our homes are an expression of ourselves. There must be something around your home that evokes pleasure, brings back a happy memory or reminds you of something that once made you happy; like that sky diving picture, or your wedding photo, your comfy bed, a piece of jewelry from your mom, your pet, your high definition flat screen, that beautiful rare piece of furniture that you found at an antique store, your record player (that's my hubby's, Neil), your organization, pictures of family and friends, etc. It's an easy exercise and it truly makes you appreciate where you put your head down every night.

Here are some of my pics:

This was the very first pic I took. I love the color and it reminds me of when Neil and I drove to NYC on NYE for a Wilco concert. We bought it in Chinatown. It's hanging in our kitchen.

This picture is hanging above my stove. It reminds me of the time I went to Barcelona and saw the Joan Miro museum. That experience was surreal, no pun intended.

My yellow pantry doors!!! I'm currently obsessed with yellow. Somehow I convinced my hubby to let me paint them this color.

This is one of my paintings. I love to paint - it brings me so much joy, but I haven't found much time to do it lately.

Images of trees. I just love trees. I love to look out my window and see our tree-lined street and all the foliage, the branches, the animals that run up and down and fly through them. Trees are symbolic of life to me.

My globe. I love to run my fingers through it and imagine myself traveling the world with my family. Traveling is a true passion of mine and I can sense it will be one for my two year old daughter, Stella, as well. She's already having daily talks about how we are going to Africa and going on a safari. Nothing pleases me more.

The vintage"Stella" guitar we bought for my daughter's first birthday. She picks it up and tries to play it almost every day. I love when our six year old neighbor, Livi, comes over and they pretend they are in a band.

Finding my kids' toys in obscure places after they went to bed. It shows me they had a great day playing.

This one's for Neil! I don't know how he convinced me to hang up pictures of the Beatles next to our kids' pics. We like to fondly refer to them as Uncle John, Uncle Paul, Uncle George, and Uncle Ringo.


ahhh...the espresso machine! A couple of these every morning makes chasing around two small kids a whole lot easier!


A souvenir from my honeymoon in St. Lucia. What a beautiful island. It makes me think about laying on the beach, drinking Scorpions, and giggling a lot. Fun times.

Another souvenir, but this one's from Mexico (my momma's hometown!) This one brings back memories of drinking way too much, riding around on an inflatable banana boat, and cracking up with some kick-ass friends.

I randomly painted this LOVE picture and decided to hang it above my door to remind us to always have love and peace in our hearts as we leave our home.

Last, but not least, our garden gnome, Larry II.

The most important thing in my life is my family and the love that we share. My love is so strong, not only for my immediate family, but for the people I call my friends, whom are my family, as well. I urge you to be present and to take a look at your surroundings. What brings a smile to your face? Feel free to share your thoughts and/or photos.

More to come on ways to reduce stress....

A Great Way to Spend a Fall Day

A stoic barn we passed along the way…

Oh, fall-it's the season that encourages us to wear flannel and consume copious amounts of pumpkin and apple-based baked goods. Feeling inspired, I decided to take a day trip to a local orchard where I could don my beloved flannel and gather some apples for a delicious apple pie.

Living in the city, I don’t get as much time as I would like to really submerge myself into nature and am always excited for a day-trip where I can hug a tree or walk around bare footed. All About Apples is a really helpful website with an abundance of information on orchards across the state.

I found Royal Oak Farm in Harvard, Illinois to be quite charming and was touched when I read that they are closed on Sundays so that they can spend time with their families. The hour and a half drive out to Harvard was lovely and scenic-we really felt like we had traveled outside of the bustling city.

Royal Oak Farm was everything that I had hoped it to be as we pulled up the winding drive-I felt a sense of peace immediately flow through me.

If you have little ones, the tractor ride is a fun way to get around through the orchards but we chose transportation by foot-any opportunity I have to walk on actual grass I will take!

It seemed that the rows went on forever...

We asked a sweet lady at the farm which apple she would choose for baking and she said Cortland apples are best because of their balance between sweet and tart. All of the rows of trees are clearly posted with the name of the apple, and marked with a yellow flag if they are ready for harvest.

I couldn’t help myself…

There is nothing like the sound of leaves crunching underneath your feet…

The farm also keeps bees, and offers the all-natural honey for sale in the General Store…stay tuned for more about the art of bee-keeping.

Our finished product after a delightful day in the country.

For delicious organic pie recipes, please visit: Greenopia.com