Easter videos

Hi Friends - hope you are all having a great Easter weekend.  Here are two videos that have prepared my heart this week to celebrate big the message of Easter - the message of hope and new life.  Happy Easter!

Be sure to watch this one through all the way to the end...

More than 2,000 people from Second Baptist Church, Houston, Texas, 

My Journey Toward Becoming Green

My last 7 years or so have been the start of a new and exciting journey for me.  A journey of becoming more and more 'green'.  I still have a ways to go, but this learning curve for me has been fascinating.  I love the way I am being stretched.  I'm learning that I can't profess to love God and not care about His creation.  The two go hand in hand.  The truth is I really want to become a better caretaker of this earth.

In addition to the obvious - recycling, green bin, drive less, use reusable bags, reduce water, no plastic bottles and so on....

Here are a few 'green' products that I absolutely love:

1.  Aveda.   As I have mentioned before, I go to an Aveda salon and love Aveda hair products.  They are environmental, organic and smell amazing!  Aveda.com

2.  Diva Cup.   I have been using the Diva Cup for just over 5 years (huge thanks to my sister, who bought it for me one year as a birthday gift!).  It is a menstrual alternative to tampons and pads.  It is easy to use.  Saves a ton of money.  Keeps waste out of the landfills.  Totally game changing.  Wish I knew about it decades ago.  Check out www.divacup.com

3.  Shaklee.  Every month I order my cleaning products, vitamins and skin care through Shaklee.  For sure, Shaklee is not the only great company out there, but it is the one I use the most and love.  Check out shaklee.ca

4.  MAC make up.  I have been using and loving these Canadian cosmetic products since my early 20's.  Long before it was the trendy thing to do.  I love all of their make up, but their lipstick is out of this world!  Check out maccosmetics.com

5.  Milk Bags.  Okay, so obviously milk bags are not a 'company', but I had to add them to my list!  For the last year and a half, instead of buying ziplock bags and cling wrap, I have been cutting the tops off my milk bags, washing them and reusing them for all kinds of things.  Things like:
school lunch snacks
freezing meat
freezing fruit
storing cheese in my refrigerator
and so on...
*I even bought some cute little plastic colourful clips at IKEA and use them to seal my bags and then keep using them again and again :)


I'd love to learn from some of you.  What are some ways you are 'green'?  What are some 'green' products that you love?

p.s.  A super resourceful website is gilldeacon.ca.  You'll especially want to check out her Wallet Tip Sheet as well as Gill's10 Top Ten List of easy tips and tricks.

p.s.s.  Some of you may be surprised to know this about me, but I am also a big fan and advocate for natural family planning as a method of birth control.  While I am no longer in a season of life where I 'use' this method, I loved it for the 12 years that I did.  Even though I never thought about it at the time, now looking back, I realize it was pretty 'green' :)

Embracing a new season

Last week we were in Florida and for whatever reason, I keep noticing babies everywhere I went.  At the airport.  At the pool.  In strollers.  And so on.  And then I'd get teary.  And feel all emotional.  And then I find myself longing for and reminising about those days.  I find myself wanting to go up to these Mom's that I have never met and tell them to treasure the season they are in.  I wanted to say, "I know it's hard and it's exhausting.  I know you get hardly any sleep and your hair is in a pony tail.  But to me, you are the picture of beauty.  I wish I was in your shoes".  I never thought I would say this - but I miss those days.  A lot.  Everyone told me those years would go by fast, but I didn't believe them.

I'm one of those people who loved the infant stage.  I mean, I know it was hard and all that.  But I loved pregnancy and breastfeeding and felt a peace like I had never known before when my girls were babies.  A sense of simplicity, of quietness, of slowing down and contentment.  I loved the co-sleeping and hated being away from my baby girls.  I know, sounds crazy - but I felt like I was born for it.  In some ways, being the oldest of 5 kids - it came to me naturally.  One of the main reasons that I spaced my girls out as much as I did is because I loved the baby stage.  I  wanted to make it last as long as possible.

Last week I realized that I am definitely out of that stage.  No more strollers.  Or diapers.  Or baby food.  No more diaper bags.  Or jolly jumpers. * Sigh*

I've been in denial - but last week it hit me.  I am in a new season.  When I see pregnant women and Mom's with babies and toddlers - I am not them.  In fact, I have less and less in common with them.  I am now a Mom with a soon to be school aged girl and two tweens.  Two of my three girls can go to public restrooms by themselves and our dinner time conversations revolve around Taylor Swift, Hannah Montana and Shake it up.  Yikes!  Wasn't it just yesterday that I was with pregnant with these girls?

I guess I am grieving that loss.  And at the same time, embracing my new reality.

As much as I miss and even long for at times those early years with my girls, I am choosing to fully embrace this new season God has for me with both hands.  It doesn't come to me as naturally and clearly, I am in over my head.  I am daily humbled and dependant on God.  Wanting to be fully engaged.  I know that my girls need me just as much now, maybe even more than ever.

Off to a good start

It's Tuesday and here in Florida, our week is off to a good start!

Theme words for the week (so far) include:

sun

swimming

big sunglasses

relaxing

To be continued...