Chinook headaches

Do you get these?

We have so many chinooks in Calgary that I find myself with a headache every so often and hear many many other women say the same thing... so for those of you who have them, I discovered something that helps!

I bought an air purifier/ionizer.

Apparently chinook winds fill the air with positively-charged ions... sensitive people feel this and develop a headache.

An ionizer takes positively charged ions and changes them to negative. Most also take care of dust, allergens, bacteria and viruses.

Right now costco happens to have a set of three ionizing air-purifiers on of $199... I have mine running and feel really well!

Let me know if you try it and how it works for you!!

Easy Carrot Muffins

So, I have been experimenting with some easy baking, with very good results and wanted to share with you!

First, muffins. My boys would eat 5 granola bars a day and I feel very guilty for all the non-recyclable melamine packaging, so I decided to make bran muffins instead.

Tropical Carrot Muffins

Buy any bran or honey bran mix you like.

In a blender add:
1- 2 cup can of pineapple chunks
Put the lid on and blend until pureed.
Then add washed, chunked carrot (I typicall wash and cut a carrot into 2" chunks) one piece at a time blending on low until completely combined. I typically use 3 large carrots or more. Add 2 eggs, blend. If mixture becomes to dry you can add a small amount of water, 1/4 cup at a time.

Combine the mix in a large bowl with the blended ingredients. Mix well. If mixture is too dry, add 1/4 c of water until appropriate consistency is reached.

Spray and fill muffin tins, bake 18-20 minutes at 400 degrees.

The same idea can be used with all kinds of fruits and veggies. I also just do carrot,pineapple with raisins.

You could also try using 1/2 c cocoa and 2-3c grated zuchini, or mashed banana and chocolate chips, or applesauce and raisins with ginger and cinnamon.

The combinations are endless and in 30 minutes you can mix and bake 2 dozen muffins!

Let me know if you have any favourite recipes to share or find a mix that you like (I am trying to find a good wheat-free mix).

Keep it to yourself!

So, the Joneses have colds... all of us.

Liam spent the whole night, sharing my pillow, facing me, coughing in my face. It was lovely.

I am a miserable, miserable person when I have a cold. I don't sleep and I don't believe in sharing my germs, so I stay home, which in and of itself is misery-making for me.

Which brings me to the whole point of my post - Do you go to work and socialise when you are sick?

If so, WHY!? Why do you do this? I am mad at you. The world will go on without you if you choose to stay home and get well. WHY!!!!???????

If not, Thank you very much for keeping your germs to yourself... you are a wise and benevolent person.

Please excuse me now, while I go wallow in OTC drug-induced self-pity.

I love Saturday!

Saturday has to be my most favourite day of the week. It is the first day of the weekend, with another weekend day to look forward to and Alan is home. It is a slow/busy day of rest, cooking, shopping, projects, reading and cleaning.

Alan is building me a lovely hall shelf for just outside the bathroom. There is an area at the end of the hall thatis perfect for storage, 8 inches deep by 7+ feet tall by 3+ feet wide. We purchased lumber and Alan spent the morning prepping the area, I bought paint and things are moving along nicely.

Alan is off at his lip-reading class. Yes, there is such a thing. Alan is hard of hearing. Actually, completely deaf in one ear and hard of hearing in the other. He wants to be able to function as effectively in the workplace as possible, IF his hearing deteriorates any more than it has, so he is taking this class. He can already lip read reasonably well (don't all husbands?) and we sign a lot at home, and he has hearing aids. I, personally choose to believe that his hearing will miraculously come back.

The boys are playing wii. They earned the games by cleaning their room, which looks lovely... other than the occasional yell by Liam when he doesn't win (he has yet to master good sportsmanship), all is quiet on the boy front.

I have decided to add a few more animals to the boy's pet collection. I think it will be good for them to have pets to care for and study. We will be adding a lovely black guinea pig to our family early next week, and possibly a lion-head rabbit. Alan thinks I am crazy, but having pets to care for teaches kids to care for someone other than themselves, responsibility, empathy and is supposed to be calming... all good things in my book.

Will soon post pictures!

Green, green all around....

So, we bought a new car. It is a big sturdy hatchback and, while I never in a million years envisioned myself driving one, I like it, a lot.

We named her Maggie... here she is... and yes, she is a PT Cruiser... apparently you don't have to be retired to drive one...:D

We drove all the way to Jasper, via Banff, on the weekend and she averaged 8.9l/100km!

Not too shabby!

The other green thing, that is new in our house is my hair...turquoise and brown... it was a hit at the wedding...

My Wabi Sabi life....

Have you ever heard the term Wabi Sabi? No? Until yesterday, neither had I.

I was at the library (since I've decided that owning hundreds of books is overrated when I can pay $12 a year to read as many as I want), browsing and came across the "religion" section. I looked and saw an unnassuming paperbag brown book called 'Wabi Sabi Simple' By Richard R. Powell.

The "simple" part caught my attention, because I am on a simplifying quest, and I picked it up.

It is amazing.

I was never able to explain to others why we choose to live such a pared-down life. I suspect some of my friends think I have low self-esteem because I don't WANT so much of the material as other people. I was never able to explain without coming across as judgemental or extrordinarily odd.

Wabi Sabi is a Japanese lifestyle of minimalism, beauty, simplicity, function, joy, purpose, gratitude, authenticity. It is about being the most authentic you possible. It is about focusing on what is really important and not allowing yourself to be distracted by what the modern world tells you is important.

The quote on the front cover of this book states this (and i love this): "Create beauty. Value imperfection. Live deeply.".

I think I have found a new mantra.

Radical parenting

So... I read a fabulous article written by former Calgary AP Mama, Tabitha Tucker, someone I know, personally and whose quiet activism has inspired me.

A link to the article is here: http://www.synergymag.ca/parenting-a-radical-political-act/

Tabitha, thanks for your honesty and for your example!!

For all you mothers out there who think being a stay at home mom is the easy, lazy way out, or that trusting your kids to someone else to raise them and teach them values is more respectable than the former... I challenge you to read this article.

For those who've read it, what do you think?