Live Music

We just arrived back home from Safety Harbor's Third Friday Music Series. Every third Friday of the month, the city of Safety Harbor closes Main Street in the heart of downtown and host this free event. The event includes live music, vendors, street performers, delectable food choices and beverages, including alcohol. The merchants along Main Street participate by offering samples and treats along the sidewalk. The vendors are numerous, varied and include homemade soaps, candles, artwork, pottery, jewelry, eco-friendly products such as recycled handbags, clothing and pet products.

Food vendors included BBQ, Thai, Greek, Italian ice, pizza, candied nuts, knish, hot dogs, lobster bisque, crab delicacies and wings. Beer and wine were also being served, as well as various other specialty drinks. After picking up a delicious beverage, my children and I spread a blanket on the grassy lawn to enjoy the live music of the evening. Tonight was a folk type band that mixed the tunes up a bit with some blue grass and even included a song by Jim Morrison. The evening was perfect as the sun set over the horizon.

Safety Harbor is a beautiful, quaint town with a touch of innocence. Most events hosted by the city are free and are always a treat. Each third Friday features a different band with their own sounds. I have personally heard Celtic, Reggae, Rock and Jimmy Buffet style music on various third Friday evenings. The festivities last from 6-10 PM and the event is family friendly. Children are running around, laughing and playing, while parents enjoy some social time. We enjoyed ourselves immensely and look forward to the next third Friday in Downtown Safety Harbor.

Here's to your Happiness!
ClearSkies

Mother's Day in Paradise

For Mother's day this year, we visited Rainbow Springs up in Dunnellon, Florida by Crystal Springs. The springs and surrounding area are simply breath-taking. The water temperature is a perfect 72 degrees Fahrenheit, which may seem too cold, but on a hot Florida day, the temperature is perfect. Personally, I like to wait until I am too hot to handle and jump into the crystal clear water, swim around a bit, let the minerals envelop my body and emerge from the cool water, refreshed and exhilarated. After a few minutes, my body starts to warm back up and I feel totally relaxed and at peace with the world as I bask in the rays of the glorious sun. Once I warm up, I do it all again. After a few hours of this ritual, I am ready for a long nights rest. I slept like a baby last night and loved it. Today my skin feels smooth and I feel tranquil.

My children loved the nature excursion and were quiet the whole drive home, which was about 2 hours for us. What a rare treat to have a quiet two hour car ride with three children in tow. The best Mother's Day gift ever!

Rainbow Springs park has canoe/kayak rentals, hiking trails, huge grandfather oak trees and magnolia trees, waterfalls and beautiful flora and fauna. Parking is free and admission is $1 per person over three years of age. Picnic tables abound if you arrive before 11 AM and rolling hills of grass are ample for blanket laying and sun bathing. Everyone brings coolers of refreshments, grills are provided and a refreshment stand offers additional provisions.

Rainbow Springs is one of the hidden Florida Wonders and a must see for everyone.

Here's to your continued happiness!
ClearSkies

Flower Moon

As my toddler and I drove over the bridge from Clearwater to Tampa tonight, the full moon was rising over the bay. The moon was pregnant with fullness and light of an orange color. The brightness radiated over the calm water and cast a beautiful hue of salmon color into our eyes. We pulled off on the side of the road, as did many other motorists to bask in the wonder of nature. My son was mesmerized, eyes gleaming and a large grin across his chunky little face.

In goddess traditions, the full moon represents the mother in all her glory. This is the power of love and on the eve of Mother's Day, what a glorious gift she has bestowed upon the children of the earth. As the flowers are blooming this time of year, Mother Moon shows us the light of love is everywhere, if we only stop and see. She guides us to complete our projects with creativity, energy and abundance.

This month of May is known as the Flower Moon from the Native American tradition of naming the full moons by the season. Perhaps this is yet another reason to honor mothers with the gift of flowers, which represents the beauty of growing and blossoming in life. Mothers guide us, love us, support us and honor our path no matter how different from their own. Unconditional love is a mother's love.

Remember to love yourself as a mother loves a child.

Here's to all Mother's!
ClearSkies

sources: http://www.farmersalmanac.com/full-moon-names
Circle Round, Raising Children in Goddess Tradition by Stawhawk, Diane Baker and Annie Hill
Photo Courtesy of: http://www.pdphoto.org/index.php

Native People

I have a special place in my heart for the Native American people. In the spirit of Naturally Living, I feel that as a culture, the Natives of our country embody living naturally. Recently, NPR did a piece called "For Native Americans, Old Stereotypes Die Hard", which refers to the depiction of Native Americans in society. Native Americans have been made a mockery in social, political and media circles.

Also of note is PBS's series titled "We Shall Remain", which is a must see. Log onto the link and watch all five episodes. The documentary covers the following: After the Mayflower, Tecumseh's Vision, Trail of Tears, Geronimo and Wounded Knee. The treatment of the Native Americans has been nothing short of a holocaust in my opinion. Watching the history of what has occurred would go far to educate our society on the Native people of our country. The importance of education cannot be understated. The knowledge of other cultures allows us to accept those different from our own as well as having understanding, compassion and empathy. The spirit of the American people is strong and able to rise up from any adversity or persecution. Native American people need to be respected and revered for the wonderful contributions they have made. Furthermore, they need to be honored for their spirit and drive to survive.

Here's to Honoring Others!
ClearSkies

Hormone Free Children

I receive periodic emails from the Food and Water Watch. This group helps keep citizens informed and united to encourage the government to take appropriate actions in order to protect the people of the United States. Most of the issues deal with public health concerns or social issues as it relates to food and water.

Recently, I received an email to participate in the campaign to bring hormone free milk to our country's children. The children of our society are served milk via school lunches and breakfast programs. During 2005-2006, approximately 430 million gallons of milk were given to our Nation's children (National Milk Producers Federation). Much of this milk was not free of artificial growth hormones.

Artificial growth hormones in milk can lead to significant health issues in our children. Some of the health concerns are long term such as cancer. Our children can also be affected by developing and maturing too quickly due to the abundance of growth hormones in our food supply. In order to ensure that hormones stay out of school provided milk, send a note to your elected represented regarding the Child Nutrition Act. As the saying goes, "it takes a village to raise a child", so even if you do not have school age children, you can make a difference in our society by taking action and protecting those who cannot protect themselves.

Buying organic milk will send a clear message to milk producers that consumers want hormone free milk. The Food and Water site has a list of hormone free dairy providers for your individual state. Be proactive in your quest to live naturally!

Here's to your continued health and well-being!
ClearSkies

Caprese-Yum!

After a workout at the YMCA, while my daughter had piano lessons, I came home and prepared a light dinner. I love insalata carprese, one of my all time favorite foods. The herbs I planted a few weeks ago are doing well in the pots out back. We have cilantro, basil, Italian parsley and garlic chives. What a wonderful treat to clip fresh herbs whenever I need them for salads and cooking.

Tonight I prepared a tasty insalata caprese, with fresh tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, basil from my potted herbs, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I slice the tomatoes thin and then top them with sliced buffalo mozzarella and basil leaves, sprinkled with salt and pepper and drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Caprese pairs well with a crusty baquette to soak up all the oil and vinegar. Sometimes I will have a fresh green salad and marinated olives to make the meal complete.

Living Naturally is simple and easy, especially when preparing summertime favorites. With the days getting longer, mealtime can be easy and light, which gives us more time to enjoy the outdoors. What I relish even more is sharing the meal with those I love in the outdoors before the weather gets too unbearably hot.

Here's to your continued health!
ClearSkies
Photo courtesy of: http://www.pdphoto.org/index.php

I feel the Earth move under my feet!

Happy Earth Day!

We celebrated Earth Day by playing at our favorite park, Philippe Park, in Safety Harbor, FL. We played near the Indian Mound and breathed in the wonderful breeze coming off the water. Philippe Park is encompassed in ancient Oak trees, which feels like being embraced in the strong arms of a grandfather.

Anytime we need to connect with the Earth, we pay a visit to Philippe Park. Pinellas County has information about the park, as well as a virtual tour on their site. Visiting Philippe Park is a truly beautiful experience.

Here's to your Earth Day!
ClearSkies

Self-powered Transportation

One of the best modes of transportation in my opinion is walking. I love to walk to places I need to go. With all the cars on the road today, it is a lovely break to be able to walk. I walked to the bank today, which seemed like a long walk of about 10 blocks one way, but I enjoyed it. My 3 year old and I walked along and saw a baby bird learning to fly, which we would have missed had we been racing by in our car. My son found a grassy knoll to run up and down numerous times which gave him a total thrill and I was able to relish in his pleasure as well.

As we walked along, my toddler's legs became tired and he decided to hop in the stroller which I had been pushing empty all along. We made it to our destination and performed our bank transaction and headed back home. The sun was setting and there was a cool breeze in the air. As I proceeded home at a quick pace, I noticed my son was no longer moving about, as he had fallen fast asleep. Apparently, the walk, with it's joyous adventures and cool evening air had tired him out. This was the easiest he had fallen asleep in many nights. Ah, the joy of naturally living and living in the moment! What a wonderful way to end the day!

Here's to your Naturally Living Moments!
ClearSkies

Pickin' and Grinnin'

My children and I met with up with our fabulous friends yesterday for our annual tradition of strawberry picking at an organic strawberry farm in Dover, FL. The experience was perfect with a backdrop of horses eating strawberries out of the kid's hands and dogs running around frolicking with the children. Moms and dads were busying themselves with picking strawberries in the field, complete with sunhats and glasses. Toddlers were running up and down the strawberry rows with red strawberry juices dripping down their chins and onto their shirts.

We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at Jordan Farms. The owners are friendly and have now expanded to include numerous vegetables as well. The organic vegetables included corn, broccoli, green beans, beets, cabbage, lettuces, squash, cucumbers and herbs. All the vegetables were u-pick except for the squash and cucumbers, which had vines that could easily be trampled upon by feet. The neighboring farm had blueberries for sale as well at the trailer upon checking out.

The Tampa Tribune published an article recently about Jordan Farms. If you are interested in experiencing the joy of organic strawberries that you picked yourself, go visit Jordan Farms. Call the owners and see how the berries are doing before you go:

Ron and Cherri
Jordan Farms
3243 MOTT RD
Dover, FL 33527
813-478-0844

We are thoroughly devouring our strawberries, blueberries, cucumbers, lettuces, cabbage, green beans, radishes and broccoli flowers. I made a beautiful salad last night and packed the kids fresh picked berries in their lunches. When I met my children for lunch at school today, my daughter proudly displayed her berries that she and her family picked to her friends. The smile on her face said it all!

Here's to your continued health and happiness!
ClearSkies

Emotional Freedom

A close friend of mine is a practitioner of EFT, which is Emotional Freedom Technique. It is a wonderful approach to releasing those powerful emotions that can cause stress, depression and anxiety. EFT has also been used to treat physical ailments and disease. Children can benefit greatly from EFT and parents can apply the techniques themselves. EFT is described as a needle-free version of acupuncture, as it uses the bodies acupressure points to help release emotional patterns. EFT can be used to assist you in many areas of your life. I once used it to overcome anxiety related to my shoe breaking right before an important meeting. I was able to laugh about the event instead of stressing.

There is an official Emotional Freedom website where you can download your own manual and learn the techniques yourself. Spiritual leaders such as Bruce Lipton and Cheryl Richardson all advocate EFT. The website contains various helpful articles and testimonials on the changes that individuals encounter for the better when using EFT. If you download the manual, it is user friendly and it is free.

Or you can visit a practitioner in your area. My friend, Lynette Conat, has done wonders for me personally. I have gone from experiencing excruciating sadness and anxiety to feeling blissful and happy again. She is a wonderful friend and healer, with a strong and powerful intuition. To contact her, go to Integral EFT website. I have found that for some deep seated emotions, a practitioner is able to get to the bottom of the emotion.

Here's to you emotional health and freedom!
ClearSkies

De-Stress Kit

I found a wonderful e-book, called the De-Stress Kit. I especially like the play on words of distress (De-Stress), not sure if the author intended it, but kind of nifty, nonetheless. The author, Doc Childre, is offering this wonderful De-Stress kit for free. Just click on the De-Stress link and it will download on to your computer. This kit offers wonderful suggestions to decrease the stress in your life due to personal and global issues in our world.

I have been reading through the kit myself and I am enjoying it immensely. The kit is on the Institute of HeartMath website, which is a fascinating site to peruse. The Institute of HeartMath offers information on the connection between our hearts, minds and the world around us, complete with scientific research and data. The HeartMath website has quite a bit to offer, see for yourself.

Here's to your Heart Health!
ClearSkies

Green Moms

For all of those interested in connecting and conversing with other parents who are a little "green", there is a great new online resource sponsored by Kiwi Magazine and Earth's Best Foods. Go to the sign-up link and fill out the form. You will receive a complimentary subscription to Kiwi magazine plus $5 in coupons for Earth's Best products.

Signing up would be a fabulous start to living green while parenting. They are even recruiting moms to be moderators/ambassadors for the forums, what fun that would be! Plus you will be connecting with other like-minded parents for the support that we all need once in awhile for our green lifestyle.

Here's to living naturally and being green!
ClearSkies

Dip for Party

Hello everyone!

I have a fabulous recipe that I like to make for parties or bring to potlucks. The dish is an appetizer and it is delicious and naturally healthy.

Avocado Salsa

1-16 oz. package of frozen corn, thawed
2-2.25 oz. cans of ripe olives, drained and chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
5 gloves of garlic, minced
1/3 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup of lemon juice
3 tbsp. of apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
4 avocados

In a large bowl, mix together corn, olives, red pepper and onion.

In a small bowl, combine garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar and spices. Pour over corn mixture and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Add avocados before serving. Serve with tortilla chips.

Your friends and family will love it and ask you for the recipe. It is delicious, nutritious and healthy. Purchase organic ingredients to make it even healthier. Enjoy!

Here's to your continued health and well-being,
ClearSkies

Contentment-a state of mind...

This is one quote which strikes me as relevant in life:

"When you are discontent, you always want more, more, more. Your desire can never be satisfied. But when you practice contentment, you can say to yourself, 'Oh yes -- I already have everything that I really need.'" —The Dalai Lama

The American College Dictionary describes discontent as dissatisfied, uneasiness, displeasure and restlessness, and contentment as satisfied, appeased and gratified.

It is interesting that discontent is not only dissatisfaction but restlessness, which is how we feel when we are discontent. I would venture to say that there is a feeling of anxiousness as well as longing. Dis-contentedness can grow into an obsession if left unchecked. Mindfulness and gratitude for what is in our life will go far to manage this ego related issue that so many of us suffer as a result of dis-contentedness from time to time.

A daily practice of gratitude every morning upon rising will allow the mind to rest in knowing that all that is needed is already here. Being in the moment and present every day and looking around at what is really happening will establish a practice that can put the mind at ease and allow us all to enjoy our lives.

Practicing contentment will allow life to unfold as it should by acknowledging what we have and are grateful for in our lives. Contentment is knowing that everything is already here for you, you just need to prepare yourself and it will be revealed. The more we are content, the more will come to us.

Here's to a healthy mind!
ClearSkies

Cleaning the Oven the Non-Toxic Way

From a Feng Shui perspective, having a clean oven clears the energetic path to success and wealth. If you aren't into Feng Shui or have no idea what I am talking about, having a clean oven means when you turn it on, it won't have a funky smell. Another benefit to a clean oven is the kids won't ask you if you are making cookies, french fries or burning something every time you preheat for dinner.

So, if you are like me and there is no oven cleaner function on your oven or if you can't stand the smell of the oven cleaner function and you don't want to use toxic chemicals to clean, here is great oven cleaner recipe:

Pour a box if baking soda in your oven, spray with water and let it sit overnight. After the soaking, clean out the baking soda, which will have lifted all the oven grime off and rinse the oven. If you need something more heavy duty, mix the baking soda with washing soda. Washing soda can be found in the laundry detergent section of the grocery store. You will need to rinse more with the washing soda to effectively remove it all from the oven.

That is it! So, now you can clear the path to wealth and keep those toxins out of your home at the same time!

Here to your continued health and wealth!
ClearSkies

Source: Better Basics for the Home by Annie Berthold-Bond

New Year, New Heart!

Happy New Year!

As we begin a new year with contemplation on how to make our lives better and more beneficial for ourselves and humanity as a whole, it is important to remember to take care of our own health and well being. What better place to start than the heart, the source of life and love. One fruit that is highly beneficial to this central part of our life is the pomegranate. The luscious red color of the pomegranate indicates there is more to this beautiful fruit than meets the eye. "Studies show that just two ounces of pomegranate juice daily can help preserve the health of the cardiovascular system, which includes the heart itself and the many arteries that feed its muscular walls" (Newman & Lansky, 2007). For those that already suffer from cardiovascular issues, all is not lost. The body, with the help of proper nutrition and exercise, can make miraculous shifts. Adding pomegranates to your diet can do wonders for your heart and help reduce blood pressure levels.

Another benefit of pomegranate is its ability to reduce inflammation, which is directly related to heart issues, as well as the capacity to open restrictive blood vessels by stimulating the body's ability to produce nitric oxide. The beautiful pomegranate aids the body in keeping the blood vessels open and flowing to the heart. The pomegranate is truly a beautiful fruit and has the health benefits to ensure an open and functioning heart. The pomegranate does resemble the heart with its rich dark red color, the multiple layers of veins and the flowing juices as it is opened. Nature does like to give us little clues in life, doesn't it?

Open your heart to the pomegranate, and open your heart to love this year!

Here's to a New Year of Health, Happiness and Love!
ClearSkies
Source: Pomegranate The Most Medicinal Fruit by Robert A. Newman, Ph.D. and Ephram P. Lansky, M.D. with Melissa Lynn Block, M.E.D.