Small Actions = BIG CHANGE: My Top 5

It all starts with me taking my time to go for a walk in an abandoned farm yard. It's one of my favourite things to do. The stories untold when you look into an abandoned house takes your mind places. The quote small actions = BIG CHANGE can almost be said for anything and everything. You want to lose weight; small actions, such as making better food choices, or drinking more water, over time, leads to weight loss. You can apply this quote to your relationships, money, health, even world change. I live every one of my days, with this quote in mind. I've been know to live my life free-spirited and, somewhat, scattered, I'd be the first to admit it. I just can't settle for minimal change in my life. I want the BIG stuff. I want to see a world, that I'd be proud to raise my children in. It pains me to watch how we all walk through every day as if we aren't making an impact. WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN A GREAT GIFT, THE GIFT OF LIFE. We are here now. Why are we waiting for the impact of what we are doing to force us into change, or worse to leave it for our kids, and their kids to deal with. There is enough information out there to educate ourself to make small actions for the greater cause.  I don't rate my life's happiness on how much money I have, or how I compare to everyone else, or how society has taught us we should be.  Don't get me wrong I'm very proud to have been born in a time and place where technology and health care is a big part of our lives. I'm just saying we need to find our balance. A lot of what we are doing is unsustainable. Everything, including our planet, has a point of no return. Some people will argue we are there. I refuse to see it that way. I believe if we all made a choice to make SMALL TINY CHANGES, we could find that balance.  I challenge you all to look at your life and everyone you love in it. Choose something small to change for 21 days, to better you, the people you love, and this planet we call home. Start with something really small and build your way up. It takes 21 days to create a habit. It takes 21 days until something that feels hard, becomes the norm. Think about this for a moment. That is 17 changes a year. 86 in 5 years, 869 changes in 50 years. We all can make a difference, and it doesn't need to be hard or big. I created this blog for this soul reason. I hope I can inspire you guys, on a regular basis, to make little changes. I want you to be part of my change. They say the best accountability is to live your teachings. So thats what I'm doing and I hope you will all join me. Below are just a few examples of changes I have done in my life, and can maybe inspire you! 

1. Dedicate an hour a day to developing and nurturing you. That can be anything from running, yoga, reading, meditating, a nature walk, whatever that may be for you. I can't say how impactful this has been for me. It's unbelievable how much clearer life gets when you learn to fully love yourself and can actually pin point what makes you happy. 

2. Eat more fruits and veggies!!! Preferably from Local farmers. Your body will love you for it. There isn't anything your body wants more, listen to it, connect with the food your eating! 

3. Eat less meat! This is a touchy subject for many. I personally have chosen to go vegan its a personal choice and I have no judgment on those who choose to eat meat. My husband still does. I just feel there are many issues surrounding this topic and people should educate themselves.See the entire picture not just the package at your grocery store. I believe that simply cutting down on the amount of meat you eat, and how often you eat meat, is a big step in the right direction.

4. Live more sustainably! There are many little things  that you can do. Use reusable glass containers instead of plastic disposable ones. Reusable shopping bags. Compost. Shop at your local farmers markets. Eat more organic. Ride a bike to work. Find things that work for you and that you're passionate about.

5. Spend time with the people who love you the most! This one speaks for itself. Fully engage with each other and find true gratitude for the people in your life. Appreciate and love them fully. Acknowledge the presence they have in your life, one day you, or they, will be gone so cherish the moments you have together today...right now!!   

DRESS: Paper Crane

Eating Healthy With Kids: My Top 5 Tips and Tricks!

Hey everyone! Convincing most children to eat their veggies, is like trying to convince a lion to eat a kale salad. It doesn't go over well. Sometimes we can get away with a few of the staples, like carrots, cucumber, celery, and the odd pepper. I refused to accept those simple 4 veggies as the only options for my kids. Veggies are the single most important food, contributing to a persons over-all health. Depriving children of these foods, is depriving them of their best life.  Having your little-ones prepare the food with you, definitely, helps the situation, but, lets face it, most night's I'm lucky if I have an hour to get supper on the table. Between all of life's busy-ness (work, hockey, ballet, homework, bath time, etc.) it can be difficult to get a healthy home-made meal on the table. Don't get me wrong, I love cooking with my kids, but, sometimes having Jack cutting veggies (me in fear of him cutting his fingers off) and Olive pouring and mixing (risk of her burning herself on the stove) is not, really, an option when I just need to get them fed. lol. So here are a few tips that work for me:

1. Give veggies a new and creative name! The first time I remember having one of those "Ah ha!" moments was when Jack was almost 2 years old. I made him asparagus, and, I was having a hard time getting him to eat it. Since we knew he loved, and, I mean LOVED, anything to do with dinosaurs, we started calling them dinosaur beans.  Sure enough, he chowed those "dinosaur beans." As he got older broccoli became "trees", green smoothies became "Zombie Juice" and so forth hehe. It was always fun to see what we could come up with. 

2. Explaining to them what each and every veggie is doing for their bodies. This is great for older picky eaters. It's not only educational but it gets them involved. An example of this would be to teach them how broccoli is known for helping detox the liver. Its high in vitamin E and C and can help heal cuts and wounds, how cool is that. It is also great for teeth and gum health too.This approach isn't only great for your children but also in educating yourself.

3. Mask the veggies you know you just can't get them to eat. Soup is heart warming, good for the soul, and, by far, my favourite way to get a picky eater eating. Soup can be made chunky or smooth, thick or thin, savoury or sweet. For all the families with young babies just throw it in a blender. Walla! Baby food! And it freezes amazing!!! Home made meal as fast as you can heat it up.

4. Juicing!! Who doesn't love a good juice. I always recommend starting out with fruit first and to slowly add in veggies. Start with orange then add a few carrots. Eventually you can add a hint of beet. It's a fast, quick way to get a lot of goodness in.

5. Praise them! Honestly, if I had to choose what works best for me, this is definitely it. It's natural human nature to want approval. Especially from the ones you love. So make it fun, cheer them on. I know that when someone is nice to me, I can't not be nice back. So get your cheer on!

These are just a few of my favourite tips and tricks to get my kiddios eating their veggies. Here is the recipe to the juice above. It's one of our staple green juices - my daughter calls it Monster Juice. This one is my fav. I love starting out my day with at the very least, 2-3 cups of juice. Such an amazing way to give your body that kick start in the morning.

Monster Juice (Green Juice)

What you need:

• 1 Large Cucumber
• 5 Green Apples
• 1 Head of Kale
• 1 Head of Romain
• 2 Large Handfuls of Spinach
• 1 Lime
• 4-6 Celery Sticks
• A pinky size of ginger (optional)

The how to:

• Juice all ingredients, I then like to strain mine afterwards to get as much of the pulp out as possible. I like a really smooth juice. Put on ice or drink as is....This recipe usually makes about a litre and half. I hope you enjoy it us much as we do :)