Greenreads: The Emotion Code

The atonement is about being. It is about living life to its fullest. Letting go of ANYTHING that stands in the way of you reaching you fullest potential and living your mission in this life. So like my two year old girl loves to mumble as she freely spins in constant circles, mimicking the Frozen movie, "let it go!" Whatever false beliefs or negative emotions you have purposely or accidentally created from trials you have gone through....find them out and discard them. Your body and spirit will be much happier and you will find yourself more fully living your true potential.

This is where the book, The Emotion Code came in for me. Sometimes I don't acknowledge my emotions. Emotions to me get in the way, or at least it always felt that way. But I realized through reading this book that I need to be aware of what my emotions are, as a guideline to help me understand my beliefs about myself and others around me, and about experiences I have.  Much like pain in the body is a way to communicate to us something needs attention.

I know there have been times in my life where I didn't understand my emotions. They were too complex or foreign to the typical fast-paced, quick learner attitude I typically take life with. They literally got in my way or burdened me at times of intense trial. But it was because I didn't take time to understand them as fully as I should have. After reading this book, I found it A helpful tool for me to identify some of my past emotions that I didn't fully accept and are now part of my subconscious. (Please read my past post about emotions stemming from our conscious mind labeling our experiences, which creates an emotion regarding that experience and then lodges in our subconscious as truth, but is indeed a false reality. The graphic that helps will be at the bottom of that post.)

So, if you are interested more in how to find out what some of your false beliefs or negative emotions are that you have subconsciously accepted as truth, then read this book. You can also write down, for a week, negative thoughts you have about yourself and see what the underlying issues may be. And prayer will always help bring things to the forefront--magnify your efforts.

Let me just say that after a big heart break a decade ago that really gave me years of pain I tried to force shut--and as a result lost me a lot of opportunities and people in my life that I wanted to let in, but subconsciously wasn't able to. I am glad that I have since come to a deeper understanding of the roles of emotion and pain and the importance of not subduing or ignoring pain, but of acknowledging it and peacefully, humbly loving the place it has brought me to. Pain is good--if you use it to acknowledge A need for change. There is no way I would be who I am without having had to search myself to find again my fun, spunky inner child and to let go of some childish beliefs I let have place in my heart. 

And a major key in this process is acknowledging fear and worry as triggers that keep you from this path of letting go. I live life with a motto that if I fear something or worry about something, then I need to better understand it and learn about it so I can empower myself to not hold onto that worry or fear, but more fully replace it with faith. What are fears you have? Have you acknowledged them? Have you turned them over to The Lord? Or are we too busy trying to keep them inside ourselves, being independent? The Lord wants us to yoke with him, but he can't if we are independent and stubborn in our certain realms of "that's just who I am" or "that's just life" type of thoughts. God wishes us to excel and not be held back. if we feel held back in any area, there is a lesson to be learned. Find it, or at least move forward in faith,

Most of us have a heart wall. The emotion code explains it as a subconscious barrier we place around our heart after having experiences we attach negative emotions to, in order to protect ourselves. I thought I had cleared mine six years ago after I got back from my mission, when I felt free and I had more clear direction for my life, but really it was still suppressed. (Somehow Paul got past it...lucky man.) :)    Now I can say it is gone, fully acknowledged and I now know and feel the difference. So it can't affect me subconsciously in my behavior towards others and not letting them in. I feel great love towards that experience, instead of grief and bitterness, because I see Gods hand in it completely. And I love where I am at and who I am. I feel I am living my potential, my mission in life. And there is nothing better than feeling free, unburdened--aware of God so fully in all the details of my life and learning. My favorite beatitude is "blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." It is our hearts that allow us to see (for better of for worse). Don't allow your heart to be clouded over, but turn all things over to God and let him show you his hand in your life. You truly will see God in all the details as you attach gratitude and positive meaning to all things you experience.

Like Victor Frankhill said...
"the last of mans freedoms is to choose his attitude in a given set of circumstances." 

Don't just choose your attitude, choose the higher way of turning your mental focus on your trials over completely to The Lord and asking him to remove the negative thoughts about it and to make you new, and show you His hand in the trial towards reaching your potential. That is what he wants for you! You can be who you want to be now. Seriously. I felt I would be that person a decade from now, but since this experience I have realized I am who I want to be! I love my life and feel I am living my mission. I am where I need to be and life is awesome! God is awesome!

Phew! That was intense.

So, good luck on living your mission. 

And Remember my all-time favorite Scripture: Moroni 10:32 (that whole chapter rocks!)
Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

A fun idea is to study the heart, in the scriptures. What takes hold on the heart? How do we let it go? why is Satan so eager to take hold on ours?  Etc.

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I will post the chart from the book here....

Greenreads: Joseph Smith and Natural Foods

I enjoyed reading a lot of the quotes and accounts of healing and health from the pioneer times that were captured in this book: Joseph Smith and Natural Food by John Heinerman. I didn't care for, nor read all his commentary, but the original quotes and journal entries were enlightening. Here are some of my notes and thoughts….

HERB NOTES:

Brigham Young's Composition Tea (used regularly and as medicine)

4 oz. each of ground bayberry, poplar bark, and hemlock; 2 oz. each of ground ginger, cloves, and cinnamon; and 1 oz. of cayenne pepper. I take a small bit on the end of a spoon, fill the cup with hot water, and use plenty of cream and sugar.

At one point in Utah there people would take the white residue off of the cottonwood and willow tree leaves and add water, then strain. Afterwards they’d boil it down to a maple sugar alternative.  Woah…cool. (If you think about it, you can get sweetness from the juice of sweet potatoes or winter squash, so it makes sense you can reduce many things to get a sweetness. Although stevia leaf is so much easier.)  J

OTHER QUOTES:

Ezra Taft Benson

“To a great extent we are physically what we eat… What needs additional emphasis are the positive aspects - the need for vegetables, fruits, and grains, particularly wheat.  In most cases, the closer these can be, when eaten, to their natural state - without over

refinement and processing - the healthier we will be.  To a significant degree, we are an overfed and undernourished nation digging an early grave with our teeth, and lacking the energy that could be ours because we over-indulge in junk foods…we need a generation of young people who, as Daniel, eat in a more healthy manner than to fare on the ‘king’s meat’ - and whose countenances show it.”

Joseph Smith

"The saints should use wisdom, and this is wisdom--if a cup of tea will stop a chill and fever, use it, but only to drive away the seizure."

My comment: I believe this is in direct reference to green tea, since there was a bunch of confusion when the Word of Wisdom came out and people were getting all crazy throwing out teapots and such. And Joseph came out and said they didn’t need to be so letter-of-the-law and that they can still use their teapots for others things. Also, he took herbal infusions when he was in need of general medicine. And he even had to tell Sidney Rigdon to lighten up because Sidney was being way too strict that he wasn’t able to get over the same sickness  Joseph Smith had, until he felt justified when Joseph used some herbs recover. So then he went out and bought some and recovered too.

It is interesting to note that when we are told "strong drinks are not for the belly" it can be taken quite literally. Tannic acid is found in green and black tea leaves (as well as in very fermented wine, oak bark, etc.) and is too strong for the stomach lining in our bellies if taken on a regular basis. Hence they are used only for a specific purpose and short duration if needed. And as a point of clarification for those not familiar with "teas"...Herbal teas don't have tannic acid.

*You can Read my post about herb tea vs. green and black tea.

Brigham Young

“If you observe faithfully the Word of Wisdom, you will have your dollar, your five dollars, your hundreds of dollars, yea, you will have your hundreds of dollars to spend for that which will be useful and profitable to you.  Why should we continue to practice in our lives those pernicious habits that have already sapped the foundation of the human constitution, and shortened the life of man to that degree that a generation passes away in the brief period of from twenty-seven to twenty-nine years?

     The strength, power, beauty and glory that once adorned the form and constitution of man have vanished away before the blighting influences of inordinate appetite and love of this world.  Doubtless we are about the best looking people today upon this footstool, and about the healthiest; but where is the iron constitution, the marrow in the bone, the power in the loins, and the strength in the sinew and muscle of which the ancient fathers could boast? These have, in a great measure, passed away; they have decayed from generation to generation, until constitutional weakness and effeminacy are bequeathed to us through the irregularities and sins of our fathers. The health and power and beauty that once adorned the noble form of man must again be restored to our race; and God designs that we shall engage in this great work of restoration. Then let us not trifle with our mission by indulging in the use of injurious substances.  These lay the foundation of disease and death in the systems of men, and the same are committed to their children, and another generation of feeble human beings is introduced into the world.  Such children have insufficient bone, sinew, muscle, and constitution, and are of little use to themselves, or to their fellow creatures; they are not prepared for life, but for the grave; not to live five, six, eight and nine hundred years, but to appear for a moment, as it were, and pass away.

    Now, when a person is fifty years of age he or she is considered an old man or an old woman; they begin to feel decrepit, and think they must feel old, appear old, and begin to die. Premature death is in the marrow of their bones, the seeds of early dissolution are sown in their bodies, they feel old at fifty, sixty, and seventy years, when they should feel like boys of fifteen, sixteen, and seventeen.  Instead of feeling decrepit at those years they should feel full of strength, vigor, and life, having attained to early maturity, prepared now to enter upon the duties of a long future life, and when two hundred years have been attained, they should then feel more vigorous than the healthiest of men do in this age at forty and fifty years…”

Hyrum Smith

“Everything has become degenerated from what it was in its primitive state; ‘God made man pure,  but he has found out many inventions.’ His vices have become innumerable, and his diseases multiplied; his taste has become vitiated, and his judgment impaired; he has fallen - fallen - fallen, from that dignified state that he once occupied on the earth; … he knows where disease is seated, and what is the cause of it; - he is also acquainted with the spring of health; the balm of Gilead - of life; he knows what course to pursue to restore mankind to their pristine excellency and primitive vigour, and health; and he has appointed the Word of Wisdom as one of the engines to bring about this thing, to remove the beastly appetites, the murderous disposition and the vitiated taste of man; to restore his body to health, and vigour, promote peace between him and the brute creation, and as one of the little wheels in God’s designs, to help to regulate the great machinery, which shall eventually revolutionalize the earth,  and bring about the restoration of all things, and when they are restored he will plant ‘the tree of life, whose leaves shall be for the healing of the nations.”

Goodreads: Mitten Strings for God

I am reading a great little book...
Mitten Strings for God: Reflections for Mothers in a Hurry


A few things I like about this book are...

1. The author is somewhat poetic and a great storyteller in small, powerful pictures while being quite precise. I like that.
2. It is broken down in many little segments--2 or 3 pages at a time--for mothers in a hurry who "don't have time" to sit and read a book. So it is a great long-term read, little by little. I kept it by my bedside and just read a section or two each night before bed.
3. This is a good book to help us take inventory and gradually aid us in that process of discovering the beauty in a more simple and less-hurried life so we can slow down our ever-quickening pace. 
4. There is lots to reflect on...so many little snippets hidden for me to uncover and take from it what I feel is needed for me at this time. In fact, that's why I'm making this post--to capture those notes, since I can't write in a library book.

Most women are in a hurry. And why? Society has created busy-ness. And most of the time is is for good things like developing talents, or giving service and being involved, etc...

But I think many women cling to society's busy-ness so much because it's easier to do what is already there and to fulfill others' needs that are clearly stated. But it takes so much more to stop and find creative and fulfilling solutions, which could help each person take time really getting to know themselves and their talents, or their childrens'.

• Storytelling
• Meditation
• Quiet Time
• Homemade Satisfaction
• ....

.....................

I didn't finish all my notes, and therefore I'm sure I wont get as much out of this book at I originally wanted, since I've already forgotten some; But...if it sounds interesting, go for it!

Greenreads: Beginners Guide to Constructing the Universe

This book is fascinating! It's all about numbers and geometry in nature and the world all around us. The author covers specifically 0-10 and all the basic shapes in relation to numbers and where examples are found. He also discusses the golden mean and music theory and the light spectrum and how everything is interrelated.

This is a fabulous way to approach learning math in context of what we see every day. And I didn't read it in depth for all sections, just those I was interested in most. But I skimmed through it all and loved the pictures and graphs and breadth as well as depth of information.

I would say a must read for everyone!

And the TJed Classics Bookgroup is doing this book in October.

Alternative Educational Approach: Thomas Jefferson Education (TJed)

I’ve read a few great books about alternative educational philosophies. I’ve compiled some of my thoughts from this last book I read. (I will then post thoughts on the Waldorf Philosophy and another separate post of a comparison/summary of the two.) So, beware, my notes are choppy. The comparison post will be more polished.

Thomas Jefferson Education: Teaching A Generation of Leaders…

by Oliver DeMille

KEY:

Excerpts from the book

Other peoples' quotes from book

My Thoughts

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The Essential Question in my mind:

Is the education we are receiving on par with our potential?

Every person you have ever met is a genius.

And greatness is the purpose of each of us.

Two types of teachers: mentors (present) and classic (past)
- Teacher get students attention and starts them on the way and involves them Deeply. Students puts in the work to educate themselves.

Three major types of schooling
1. Conveyor belt education
2. professional education
3. leadership education: inspires self-education and ability to think for themselves, based on character

Thomas Jefferson Education Model is Leadership Education

And I would add that so is the Waldorf Method, from a more creative/intuitive approach, but that is another post...

“Teaching, like farming and healing, is a cooperative art. Understanding this, Comenius in The Great Didactic again and again compares the cultivation of the mind with the cultivation of the field; so, too, Plato compares the teacher’s art with the physician’s.”

“…only when teachers realize that the principal cause of learning that occurs in a student is the activity of the student’s own mind do they assume the role of the cooperative artists. While the activity of the learner’s mind is the principal cause of all learning, it is not the sole cause. Here the teacher steps in as a secondary and cooperative cause.”

“Like the farmer and the physician, the teacher must be sensitive to the natural process that his art should help bring to its fullest fruition – the natural process of learning. It is the nature of human learning that determines the strategy and the tactics of teaching.” 

– Mortimer J. Adler -

Individualized Education Phases

1. Core phase (0-8 years of age): Happy, interactive, confident child naturally playing and working in family setting. The meaning of tasks gains context through experiences with a rich learning environment.
2. Love of learning phase (8-12ish):  Play at projects and skills which build understanding. Involvement is exploratory and interest driven With time to allow personal expression without negative feedback.
3. Scholar phase (puberty/12-16): Readiness to apply greater level of effort to personal and academic achievement through a process of commitment and accountability.  Defined responsibilities that are agreed upon. Exposure to variety of materials and ideas in the spirit of passion and excitement for learning. A time to work hard at learning because you love it and to ponder, think, read, write,  listen, debate, analyze and learn. It is the time to lose yourself in study.
4. Depths phase (16-22): Profound hunger to prepare for on-coming responsibilities and future contributions in society. To acknowledge limitations both personal and in current mentoring arrangement, and to submit to expectations of a mentor at a new and higher level. To network with those who are mission-oriented and involves the challenge of having your grand ideas revealed to be limited or ineffectual with the opportunity for exposure to peers with new and thought-provoking solutions to age-old problems. it is the ideal combination for the years of earlier training and must be individualized.

"Since learning is essentially a process of discovery the teachers Art consists largely in devices whereby one individual can help another to lift himself up from a state of knowing and understanding less to knowing and understanding more. left to his own devices the learner would not get very far unless he asked himself questions, perceived problems to be solved, suffered puzzlement over dilemmas, put himself under the necessity of following out the implications of this Hypothesis or that, made observations and weighted the evidence for alternative hypotheses."

- Mortimer j Adler -

Thomas Jefferson Education Basic Tenets:

1. classics and mentors
2. depth and breadth
3. quality and application

No education is complete or even particularly valuable unless the student uses what he or she has learned to serve the community, family, society, and God.

A good mentor is someone of high moral character who is more advanced than the student and can guide his or her learning

Education makes a people easy to lead, but difficult to drive; easy to govern, but impossible to enslave.

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Seven keys of great teaching or mentoring

1. Classics not textbooks: Bible, Shakespeare, etc.
2. Mentors not professors
3. Inspire, not require: Force in learning dampens the passion, kills the spirit and destroys the zest and life of learning. Force trains followers not leaders. Inspiring is finding out what the students need and then creatively encouraging them to engage it on their own with excitement and interest
4. Structure time, not content
5. Quality, not conformity
6. Simplicity, not complexity (Read, write, Do projects, discuss--not quick to point out answers or personal feelings....explore)
7. You, not them (Mentors set the example and are continually learning and pushing themselves. They commit to study and ponder think about it and pay their own price in studying along with.

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Teaching Parable: Baby Learning to Walk

1. Observe
2. Walk and smile: Try and have mini successes
3. Totter and look alarmed: run into difficulties and get worried
4. Fall and cry:  Fail and feel bad
5. Start over again

Mentors' roles

1. Smile throughout
2. Shower advice
3. Warn
4. Encourage
5. Praise
6. Most importantly...set the example

The Mentor who shares her love for learning and willingness to submit to the labor that is the process of acquiring mastery will communicate the value of persevering through difficulties and trusting that ignorance and confusion must ultimately give way to knowledge and understanding.

You were born with potential.

you were born with goodness and trust.

you were born with ideals and dream.

you were born with greatness.

you were born with wings.

you are not meant for crawling, so don't.

you have wings.

Learn to use them and fly.

-Rumi-

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In Summary:

“A sensible man watches for problems ahead and prepares to meet them. The simpleton never looks and suffers the consequences.” 

- Proverbs 27:12 -

Our Educational system has a problem...is the problem. Too many cooks in the kitchen trying to decide what our children need to learn and how to do that. There are tons of alternative educations out there that are worth exploring.

After reading much, I have come to view my children’s’ education as needing at least these three things:

•  Inspires students to think for themselves
• Based on good and true principles/values
• Encourages their individual greatness (aka God-given potential/talents)

All types of education will change if parents lead the charge. 

What can you do as a parent to help truly educate your children? (regardless of whether or not you homeschool, charter school, public education, etc.)

Goodreads: A Day in the Life of a Minimalist

My friend got this kindle book free (it's currently $1 on their website) and told me it was a good read. I read it within a few days. It's a compilation of short essays on various ways to minimize and get rid of the superfluous in our lives. This ranges from your wardrobe to your kitchen, to your book or toy shelves to your shopping and finances, even relationships and media. He had some graeat down-to-earth ideas. I found it refreshing and have since cleared out 5 boxes of things for D.I. that I realized I'm just not using or needing.

I think of minimalism as modern day Amish to some extent. Amish don't bring any extraneous tools/things into their lives that they can relatively do well without. However, they will add tools that add significantly to their ability to live and provide (ex: a simple plow that will help them do a great amount of work that would otherwise take forever). So in essence, what I got from reading these essays is a deeper appreciation for simplifying what we have and have intention behind what we do and meaning behind what we choose to bring into our lives.

The author tells of various experiments he's tried in going without certain items: cell phone, laptop (which he said is impossible for him, but at least now he understands why he has it and can set ground rules for it's needed use), shopping for things other than basic food needs, etc. I think it's a great idea to go through things you have in various areas and get rid of things you don't need or use. Try to buy things that accomplish a variety of purposes instead of a one-time only use. And try experimenting what things you might be able to do with. (I know Cooleys are without a microwave and have fared just fine. We too are now going that route.) There's always the car...try to only drive it once or twice a week and lump as much as you can together in one outing. Or your cell phone: try only using it during certain periods and turning off facebook and email notifications that interrupt your daily life and impose their urgency on you.

He also poses questions throughout that make you think. What if you could live with only your ten favorite books or 10 favorite photos. and why do we have them all. (It's also mentioned to digitize many things and get rid of clutter which is very helpful).

There's a lot more in the books that is fun to think about. I definitely think it worth the $1! So "splurge" and have some fun reading. Try what you like and ignore what you don't. Why not?

*On a personal side note: I think being a minimalst spiritually is also a healthy, good way to live. If we can get rid the what's unnecessary and worrisome or burdensome in our lives and just keep what is happy and edifying without the heavy weight, then our lives will be more joy-filled and light. Isn't this what Christ's atonement is for--to empower us to let go of things weighing us down and to lift us to our eternal and divine potential.

Greenreads: Simplicity Parenting

Do you ever feel kids have too much or are bombarded by too much? 
Media.
Toys.
Junk food.
Choices.
Games.
Books.
Real life adults lead.
Everything!


I love this book written by a Waldorf teacher (educational philosophy geared towards hands-on, natural, rhythmic, artistic, storytelling, simplicity, education, not standardized test-oriented education) and psychologist.

It tells of how children are getting so stressed out and overloaded by information and pleasures that they are in hyper-drive. So she urges parents to simplify their childrens' lives, routines, toys and information received. To in a sense protect our children from getting too much, too fast. "A protected childhood allows for the slow development of identity, well-being, and resiliency. Too much stuff leads to too little time and too little depth in the way kids see and explore their worlds."

She also mentioned every child has quirks, but that when they are stressed (sometimes in ways unbeknownst to us), those quirks turn into diagnosed behavioral problems. "Stress can push children along the behavioral spectrum. When you simplify a child's life on a number of levels, back they come. Behavioral tendencies can be soothed or relaxed by creating calm. We need to simplify in order to create and honor that "calm" for the sake of our children and their divine potential within them. We are here to nuture that potential and help them explore and exerience life in good and natural ways....not just to be entertained by toys, running around stressed from class-to-class, etc.

She walks you through step by step how to simplify in many areas and to create a stable environment in the home by creating daily pockets of predictability for your children and by having less clutter (books, toys, information, etc.). Here are some areas and suggestions (but read the book for more thorough advice and examples).


Toys
We have way too many toys for our children! They don't even play with half of them. "As you decrease the quantity of your child's toys and clutter, you increase their attention and their capacity for deep play."
Keep a few loved toys in clear sight and a few more organized in bins tucked away--reachable, but not always in sight. Get rid of all of the following toys:
1. Broken Toys
2. Developmentally Inappropriate Toys (pack away or donate those outgrown)
3. Conceptually "Fixed" Toys (simple toys allow imagination--not plastic unchangable outfits and TV heroes)
4. Toys That Do Too Much and Break Too Easily
5. High Stimulation Toys
6. Annoying or Offensive Toys
7. Toys that Claim to Give Your Child a Developmental Edge
8. Toys You Are Pressured to Buy
9. Toys that Inspire Corrosive Play (violence)
10. Toy Multiples

Expanding Play from Beyond Toys
Children need to experience (touch, see, feel, do, etc)...not just be entertained. Here are some thoughts for how children can play beyond toys:
Imaginary-Play
Purpose and Industry
Nature
Trial and Error
Social Interaction
Movement
Art & Music

Books
If you're like me you try to collect tons of used kids books. But the author says, "We honor the value of something (like reading) in our child's life by fostering a deep-not disposable--relationship to it." So if you have too much of anything, the child doesn't delve deeply into those things. Picking just one or two books before the child is eight is just fine, with 10 or so other books available as needed. Great books for children are fables and nursery ryhmes because they have rhythm and generally a problem/resolution and principle. Plus, most are based in nature and are very short and simple.
Here are some questions to ask, when thinking about your kids book collection:
Is it developmentally Appropriate?
Is the book based on a product of TV character?
Does it tell an unfolding story or is it "all over the place?"

Rhythm
Rhythm and predictability are what we aim for; predictabilty may be what we can acheive. This predictability help provide security for our children so they feel more happy and calm. She talks about the power of talking to your children more and creating predictability. How often do we run around "living" our lives, but not communicating clearly with our children about what we are doing or what to expect. If we treat them like kids and leave them in the dark. We need to provide pauses to help them know we're about to leave. We need to pick them up face to face and hand in hand, not grab them from behind (which makes them feel insecure and forced) and push them to our next event for the day. Do we help our children see who they are and how they are living and acheive meaning and purpose? Or do they let overwhleming toys, books and media tell them about what life "should" be like? I would suggest that if our children aren't happy, there are inner needs not being met. I always smile when my boy sings, because of the quote "A child who sings is a happy child." And when he seems unhappy and whiny...then I ask myself what I need to do to change my attitude (or stress-level) and how I can better focus on him and simplify.

"Rhythms establish a foundation of cooperation and connection. And relationships are often built in the intervals, the spaces between activities, when nothing much is going on." So don't be too busy.

Also I love the simple dinners built on consistent menus so that consistency is valued more than personal preferences and so that children can be involved to prepare it and clean up together.

Pressure valves: kids need to release steam and energy throughout the day. Ex: right after school and sitting so long...a quiet time might be needed. Or time before bed to slow down and unwind. Storytime is the best example of this and a great chance for parents to connect and help create a picture of the next day for their children. If children don't have these times they have a hard time sleeping at night. Look for opportunities to build a few into your days for your child's sanity.


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I stopped taking notes halfway through...so next time I read it I will finish. :)

Greenreads: Nourishing Traditions, Sprouted Grains, Deep Nutrition

So our Nourish section of this blog is based on our perspective of healthy eating: real food in it's most natural state (least processed etc.). No, this isn't vegan, paleo, atkins, etc. A lot of it is actually in-line with the Weston A. Price Foundation and this book. This book is great because it explains the pros and cons of foods and why, along with recipes to go along.

There are some great lists of good, better, best type food options to help you decide with sweeteners, which oils, etc. are the best options. They also include what cookware is best to use and why and what ways to cook to preserve the most nutrition. And that's the key: how to maximize nutrition to nourish your body...and not just feed it. White flour and sugar alone will not sustain you. But, everything in moderation also.

This book explains the nutritional content of whole grains, but also explains that ideally they should be soaked or sprouted. Why?  This means the seed isn't ready to bring on new life, so the nutrients are not readily accessible. There is phytic acid which keeps nutrients from producing new life. Once the seeds have been soaked in water, the phytic acid is reduced, so the seed can start to pull out those nutrients needed to grow new life (picture springtime when the rains fall and seeds are ready to grow).  We harvest foods that are living and eat them because they go bad and die, right? And you are what you eat, right? We eat the grains when their nutrients are most readily availble, because they will be nutritional powerhouses for us. And I think when we don't, over time we could develop digestion issues if we are not careful.

Here's another good book that explains the following: seeds, grains, beans, etc. are in a dormant state.

This book also advocates easting probiotic-rich foods. You may think of yogurt with active cultures, but there are so many more options if you're willing to try some other areas of interest. (I'll post on my cultured food adventures later) Other foods along this line are traditional saurkraut and kimchi. Or water or milk kefir. Whey is also pro-biotic rich (this is the liquid you can strain from yogur


You can read more about Weston A. Price and the research he's done on the Foundation's website.
Here's a great article to summarize his findings and provide a good list of foods to eat, foods to avoid, and nutrition myths explained: http://www.westonaprice.org/basics/principles-of-healthy-diets

Here is another book along the same lines, though I haven't read it all yet.

Greenreads: Raising Baby Books

When I was pregnant with my first kid, I got a few library books to learn about how to be more "green." Why?  Well, I was reading about detoxing and the effect of too many chemical and foreign substances on the body, over time. Well, did you know Utah has horrible air and that alone contributes to many respiratory issues, along with many other health issues. (side note)

So here is the first book. And honestly, it's been so long since I read it, but I remember it was a great introduction to making better and more informed choices about products we choose to use and give our babies. Now the great thing about these books is that they give you options and help you think about areas of your homes and about a variety of products and then you can choose how much to detox. You can go full-green eccentric, or just carefully start to implement greener options over time.

I think if I were to reread these again, I'd still have good insights learned to be able to implement, but I'd also feel like been-there-done that for a few areas. IT's a good balance and something you can always improve on. So why not grab one of these, or other options, and just take a glance if you have some spare time. Learn how to be more "green," step by step, because it's a healthier way for yourself and family.

And I think this second one even had a few homemade baby food recipes, which was kind of fun.

Greenreads: The Art of Baking with Natural Yeast

This is a fantastic book on learning about making and using natural yeast--sourdough.

It tells you how to make a basic starter. And there is a helpful chart for troubleshooting. They also include how to easily convert regular recipes for sourdough. What I'm really interested in is the use of natural starter, instead of commerical yeast. It looks like the ratio is 1/4 cup sourdough start for every 2 tsp. commercial yeast. (at least for his sourdough start, which is 100% hydration--this means equal parts water to flour ratio.

Anyway, anyone interested in sourdough should get this books. It's only $12 at Costco right now and Caleb Warnock is from Utah...I'm not sure about the other author.

Stay tuned on our nourish recipe blog for recipes with this starter and a Sourdough 101 post if you want to try your own. They make it pretty easy. We've already made pancakes with it.

FYI, my mom got me one of Caleb's other books. It's helpful for thinking of other self-sufficient ways of life, though it's not very in-depth, so you'd have to go do your own further research on particular aspects you're interested in. But it's a great start to thinking about other ways to be more self-sufficient.

Greenreads: Preserving Food without Freezing or Canning

Having extra food on hand is practical and smart--not just for huge disasters and emergencies, but just because. Since I'm working on building my food/cold storage downstairs, but am a little disenchanted with the food storage ideas that aren't healthy, I looked up some stuff at he library and came across this book.

Preserving Food without Freezing or Canning:
Traditional Techniques Using Salt, Oil, Sugar, Alcohol, Vinegar, Drying, Cold Storage, and Lactic Fermentation
by The Gardeners and Farmers of Centre Terre Vivante

Description from Amazon:
Typical books about preserving garden produce nearly always assume that modern "kitchen gardeners" will boil or freeze their vegetables and fruits. Yet here is a book that goes back to the future—celebrating traditional but little-known French techniques for storing and preserving edibles in ways that maximize flavor and nutrition.

Translated into English, and with a new foreword by Deborah Madison, this book deliberately ignores freezing and high-temperature canning in favor of methods that are superior because they are less costly and more energy-efficient (not to mention retains more nutrients).

As Eliot Coleman says in his foreword to the first edition, "Food preservation techniques can be divided into two categories: the modern scientific methods that remove the life from food, and the natural 'poetic' methods that maintain or enhance the life in food. The poetic techniques produce... foods that have been celebrated for centuries and are considered gourmet delights today."

Preserving Food Without Freezing or Canning offers more than 250 easy and enjoyable recipes featuring locally grown and minimally refined ingredients. It is an essential guide for those who seek healthy food for a healthy world.

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So I skimmed through this and there are some promising recipes if you want to add to your food storage things that you like, will eat/rotate through regularly, etc.  Here are a few, though I have yet to try them: (once I do I will post the recipe on our nourish blog...under a Preserving/Food Storage Recipe section)

Greenreads: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

 

By Barbara Kingsolver

This book is about a family that lives off local food for a year. That means no bananas from Mexico, etc. They move to some place in the East with a farm and grow a garden. IT's their experience and recipes included, and informative information on why they're eating local and about certain processes about how we get our food, local or not. (She's written the Poisonwood Bible book, but I didn't care for it...I felt she rambled and was way too openly commentative, and I lost interest.)

I learned about cheesemaking, more about canning my own tomatoes, raw milk, etc. It's very cool to hear about their struggles to get use to just eating what was available and to see that they were successful and it wasn't too hard if they made it their priority and were willing to give up certain foods for certain seasons.

I definitely had to skip some parts where she rattled off about food industry practices, which I can see where she's coming from, but sometimes she had a tendency to be a little harsh and punctuated in her statements. (which is enjoyable at times, but overkill at others) She writes very matter-of-fact, which I tend to appreciate, but sometimes don't need all her extra side thoughts.

So, I'd read it if you're at all interested in learning how to better live more locally and sustainably. I rate it 4 of 5 for greenreads.

GreenReads: Made From Scratch

Made from Scratch: Discovering the Pleasures of a Handmade Life
by Jenna Woginrich

This book is written by a woman who is a typical 8-5 working woman from the city who's trying to live a more homemade life--not a country bumpkin who's grown up knowing how to do all this by-hand stuff. We can relate, no? Her premise is that we can all change the way we live, no matter where we are. "You can make better decisions every day; you can learn the skills for a more independent way of living. When you do, you'll start to feel more appreciation for those everyday tasks, because at the end of the day you're more in control of your life." She basically says that the point of this book is about self-sufficiency and being more RESPONSIBLE to everyday things we take for granted and have "become numb to" and get back to the real basics of where things come from--to gain a greater appreciation for getting dirty, working hard and slowing down. The author said it was starting her own "homestead" (at her rented place with a little garden) that made her life and work more meaningful.

"Living the way you want has nothing to do with how much land you have or how much you can afford to spend on a new house. It has to do with the way you choose to live every day and how content you are with what you have. "

First step: Go Local, buy less packaged goods, etc.
Education in realizing the process of how everything gets to you (stores, farms cargo, gas, plastic....lots of factors)
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As I kept reading, I picked up interesting experiences she'd had trying to raise chickens and keep bees and such. She talked about buying second hand and learning to do things by hand, such as knit.

I felt as though it was a brief mention of a few experiences, but nothing super informational. She just gives you a look into her trying to become more self-reliant and homesteader-ish. So if you're new o this whole idea, it's a short read to open your eyes a little. Not more than that. However, she does list lots of resources for particular things she does....like books on raising chickens, etc.

I'd give it a 3 of 5.