Safety First

Call me a worrier, but I sometimes get nervous about what will happen to us if there is an emergency.  I was determined to go over some basic safety information with the kids this year.  We moved in to a new house not too long ago and we don't know many neighbours yet.  I don't expect much from my 2 year old, but I think that my 7 year old could do with practice making phone calls and summoning help if necessary.

There is a post going around the Internet which suggests that people place emergency information on their car seats.  Apparently emergency crews often find the driver hurt in an accident and no one can give basic information such as name, age, etc for the passengers. 

I decided to set myself  a few tasks for the new year:

1.  Important Numbers list.  I typed and laminated phone numbers to put by the main phone. Since my 7 year old doesn't use the phone much I had him practice reading the names, dialling numbers and also how to access these using my mobile phone.  We did a "fake" emergency to Daddy pretending he was 999.  I included numbers for emergency (999), my mobile, their father, my parents, the nursery, the childminder, and a neighbour they know.  Our address is there with the postcode in bold red letters.  I had my son practice the address as well.  The nice thing about this list is that I have the numbers handy and they are there for babysitters too.

2.  Emergency Contact List.  I typed and laminated this list which includes a "who lives here" section and an emergency contact list.  We have our names, date of birth, allergies, blood type etc.  I put large red crosses on the back to indicate they are to be used in emergencies.  One is hanging by the front door and one is taped in the car.  (I flipped them over so the cross is seen and not our personal information for all to see). 

3.  Emergency keys.  I have to keep my two doors locked because my 2 year old would happily run around the neighbourhood if I didn't. So I shrunk the emergency contact info and laminated it to make two 3"x4" cards.  One is with the spare front door key and one with the back door key.  I hung them so the 7 year old can reach them but the 2 year old cannot (she would take them to play with).

4.  Fire Safety.  We went over a few drills crawling around on the floor to stay below the "smoke."  We had a good look at the windows and decided which ones may or may not be safe to jump out of (we live in a bungalow).  We put smoke alarm testing on our calendar so we remember to do it.  When I moved in I wasn't; given the window key to one of the windows so I contacted the council (who owns it) about this.  Our local fire brigade gave me a lot of fire safety information and it suggests closing doors at night to help slow down a fire.  For instance if there is a fire in the kitchen having the kitchen and bedroom doors closed will help contain the fire for a short time while the smoke will still set off the alarm allowing you time to get out. We have a fire blanket in the kitchen and we take it outside when we have a BBQ.  We keep a bucket of water near the BBQ as well. 

5.  Practice Runs.  In addition to the phone calls above we had an emergency scenario where I pretended I fell, hurt my leg and couldn't walk.  We pre-arranged a script in which he runs to a neighbour to get some immediate adult help. 

I am glad that we did these and I am especially proud of my son for taking part.  I don't want to scare the kids too much (or turn them into worriers like me), but I think that the fun of play acting has also helped boost his confidence in a new neighbourhood. 

My son does some basic first aid with his scout troop and his father is a First Aider.  So we might practice some of these skills in the coming months just for fun.

Childhood Asthma?!?!?

My 5 year old son has a persistent cough and we are investigating whether he has asthma or allergy induced asthma.  He has been given the blue inhaler and an anti- histamine to take daily.  But the nurse practitioner says his symptoms sound like proper asthma or mold induced asthma requiring the brown/steroid inhaler.  His cough has improved from what it was 2-3 months ago....and I am nervous to start the blue inhaler and anti-histamine.  (let's just say that we have had both good and bad experiences with conventional medicine).

I would love any and all advice on this.  Especially regarding medication, diet, homeopathy....anything really! Thanks.

So things went a bit wrong...

I haven't posted much lately, although I am constantly writing posts into my journal.  The main reason is that my computer does not work, the second that my broadband is extremely slow and it is not easy to type long posts on this phone.

In other news my partner and I have split up, so now I can be a single parent-who-yearns-for-a-whole-foods-and-wholesome-altogether-lifestyle-but-fails-miserably-and-ends-up-at-(ick)-McDonald's kind of blogger.  Once I get a computer and move to a place with modern conveniences like central heating and decent broadband that is.

In a flurry of optimism I hope that by taking some time away from the blog I am spending more time in nature and chopping things, fermenting stuff, meditating....well some of that is getting done in between wrestling with my 1 and 5 year olds, tripping over the ironing pile and praying no one shows up for a cuppa----assuming that I have a clean mug somewhere around here.

In truth, though my life is currently quite chaotic I have great hope for the future of my little family and look forward to writing about our adventures.

On Finding God

I read recently a quote about people leaving church and finding God.  Now if I had a better memory or a stronger desire to make the effort to find the quote I would tell you who it was who came up with that one.  It is pure genius and certainly speaks of my experience. 

A few months back I was listening to Michael Neill (Intuitive Life Coach) speaking on his show on HayHouseRadio.com.  He was talking about the concept of Buying In to whatever it is we are "supposed" to be doing.  The example he gave was of a teenager not really doing chores, etc until they Buy In to the importance of contributing to family life.  Likewise, regardless of what we read, hear or are being nagged to do, we cannot fully take part until we Buy In to why we benefit.

I think that this is a key concept in faith and a spiritual life.  I have always had the gift of faith---since I could remember anyway.  And I was raised with the ritual and traditions of the Catholic Church.  I quite enjoyed participating in the various ceremonies, the choir, and later youth retreats.  But like so many teenagers I lost my faith in the Church.  I could no longer Buy In to the need for the Bible, confession, some of the rituals of the Mass.  This partly came from reading the Bible.  Most of it.  Sad, but true.  Although I read it, and even got a bit out of it, it didn't speak to me in a way that enhanced my spiritual practice at that time.  I just couldn't accept that it was all that useful if it was written by men, most of whom never met Jesus, and which then went on to cause so much strife in the world.  As I heard Coversations with God author Neale Donald Walsch say on the radio recently---if any of the religious texts and practices we have now were the answer, then why is everyone still searching for God?  I am sure I paraphrased there.

I more or less stopped going to church for many, many years and only attend sporadically now.  I suspect that this is true of so many people nowadays.  And I think it is because we find it difficult to Buy In to religion.  As children we are carted in to church and told to sit still and be quiet.  Rituals which were actually designed to bring us closer to God became chore lists, without meaning.  This has been the case not only for our generation, but for many generations in fact.  This is a shame really.  I am not sure if there is a better way---I certainly hope that I can share with my children a bit of my understanding of Spirit. 

Over the years I have read a lot, about a lot of different things---new age---Buddhism, Shamanism, a bit about Druids....I hung out with Native Americans, Jews, and Muslims....trying to glean some meaning to life.  And I do believe that I have found it.  I don't know everything, but I do have very strong beliefs.  And I became a spiritual healer along the way.  Not only is this one of the greatest gifts, but the ability to connect to Spirit and renew my faith daily is great indeed.  Having found Spirit, it is now much easier to find it wherever I go.  It may be in a church, or the Bible, definitely in other people, and often in other religions too....it has become a cliche for a reason.  Maybe this is just the way we are going.  Because we ARE doing it right.

How to Pray in Earnest

I have joined an evening Bible Study Group partly to Better Myself and mostly to Get Out More.  I have actually found it really inspiring and helpful to my meditation practice.  We are studying the book of Acts, which was written by Luke.  It is nice to have a look at this description of the very early church.  We have discussed quite a few themes, and we keep coming back to prayer.  This week our study questions asked us how do we pray in earnest.

Well, here goes.  A rough guide.

Step 1.  First you need to get yourself a problem.  It can be "small," "big," an illness, a difficult person....anything which makes for a Very Stressful Time.

Step 2.  Now, approach God in a frantic, can't-stand-this-a-minute-longer rant.

Step 3.  Get a bit miffed that a.) you have to go through this and b.) NO ONE IS ANSWERING YOU!

Oddly, this rant will make you feel a teensy bit calmer after a few minutes.  (The old getting it off your chest technique).  Then you will be ready for ....

Step 4.  ...wait for it....you will hear something...

Maybe God, maybe guides, angels....maybe your own inner wisdom.....but in the stillness the answer will come.  Sometimes your answer will be quite direct.  "You need to look after yourself."  Sometimes it is a simple message such as "We are here for you."  And sometimes it is a reminder.  "Try turning this around."  (This is a great technique.  For instance when I was frantically praying I really NEED to know the truth here before I explode with the stress!!!!  Turning it around means stopping and saying I know the truth.  And quite often, you do. )

This is how I do it anyway.  Easy right?  Well there are a few things to keep in mind.  You do not always get the answer you want.  If an answer makes you afraid of taking action then it is most likely your ego, and not from Spirit.  Basically, if you are not feeling absolutely loved and supported, then what you are hearing is not from GOD.  And lastly, as with all relationships, you must remember that you cannot speak and listen at the same time. 

2011

I am always in such a hurry to make plans for the New Year ahead.  I thought it was time to sit down and reflect on my accomplishments from the last year.  We are not always comfortable giving ourselves a pat on the back.  But doing so can be just the boost we need to feel ready to take on a new year, and new goals.

So, in the past year I have done quite a few things, most notably:

1.  Gave birth to my daughter
2.  Gave a fantastic Pirate Party for my son
3.  Embarked on a course
4.  Developed a more regular meditation and prayer practice
5.  Made some significant changes to our diet---for our health
6.  Lost some of the baby weight!
7.  Tried quite a few new foods and recipes (see the rest of this blog!)
8.  Tried out some great new craft projects including nappies, hot water bottle covers and embroidery

As I reflect on each of these in my journal I can pull out how I accomplished it, why I did it, and use these insights in making new goals.  More on those plans later!  But I can also look back to my goals from the last year.  Did I accomplish any of them?  Why or why not?  Did I actually spend time on them or other stuff?  How can I create goals which more accurately reflect me and my needs?  Do I need to change my goals to make them fit into my lifestyle or do I find ways to motivate myself to achieve more?  Lots to think about!

How to use your snow cone maker for good (instead of ...)

I have always wanted a Snoopy Snow Cone machine.  I almost always chose the Snow Cone from the ice cream van.  And I love slushies, slurpees, icees, coollattas, etc.  Except that they are usually so sickeningly sweet.  Even for me.  And believe me I have a sweet tooth.

And so in the intrerests of health I have been avoiding these products for a few years.  My son often asks for these drinks while we are out and I indulge him sometimes with a guilty conscience.  We have been eyeing up snow cone makers for a while and I finally relented when I found a Party Penguin on sale a couple of weeks ago.

They are trickier than they look!  It takes a long while to shave your ice.  Even if you chop it a bit first or leave it out for a few minutes to melt a bit.  When you have a nice little drawer of snow, pop it into your bowl and THEN: 

Now here is where snow cones move into the realm of fantastic.  Delicious.  Healthy. 

Now, you add flavour to your snow with any of the following:

fresh squeezed juice (we chose orange today)

coconut juice

coconut milk mixed with milk

Hindu lemonade

You now have a nice little snack and you have had fun with the kids and you know that you haven't had extra sugar or worse--nasty chemicals, dyes, and artificial flavours.