Fall in NY, Potty Training & Elimination Communication

Right now, we are in NY visiting Paul's family. We are having a blast staying with Paul's twin sister and her husband on Staten Island. The fall weather has been amazing, and we love visiting the parks and watching the trees changing.

Today we visited the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens and enjoyed the fall colors and cool weather. We only have a few more days left of this trip, then we fly back to Florida for a short visit home. We are trying to squeeze in as much fun into this trip as we can because when we return in November, it will be cold!

We have a packed schedule until the end of the year, and will be on the road until January. Please check out Paul's tour dates HERE and come and say hi! We love connecting with old friends and especially love making new ones!

Noa is having a blast visiting the parks, playing and making new friends. I love that she can spend time with Paul's family, and it's fun having Paul show me around Brooklyn where he grew up.

Noa is almost 21 months, and we are taking huge steps toward becoming potty trained.

Since Noa was about 11 weeks, I began a practice called Elimination Communication (EC). EC is a toilet-training method that uses timing, signals, cues, and intuition to address an infant's need to eliminate in an appropriate place, like a toilet, portable potty, or even bowl. While at home, I mostly let Noa play diaper-free, and I tried to tune into her elimination rhythms and take her when I felt she needed to go. I was not always in tune with her, and when we went out, I would put her in a diaper. I did not practice this 100% of the time, but I did my best, and when it was not convenient or if I had a day with lots of "misses", I tried not to be too hard on myself. I always tried to keep a small portable potty with us in the car, and even took her in public restrooms and held her over the toilet. I started using a "pssssss" cue, and she caught on! It was really amazing connecting with her and tuning into her needs. It also was a huge help and encouragement that my close Mama Friend Debra was also practicing EC like a pro and I was able to learn a lot from her too.

Here is a picture of Noa at about 3 months, sitting on the potty while I cue her.

I'll admit that it did seem like more work getting started with the Elimination Communication early, but now that Noa is approaching two, she is almost completely cuing and letting me know on her own when she needs to go. She even makes her own "tssss" sound, or says the word "potty". I always try and take her potty when I go too, and she has no problem saying "no" if I ask her, especially if she is busy playing!

I will definitely write more about EC again, but for any moms who are interested in letting their new babies or even older infants go diaper-free, here are few quick tips to help you get started:

• 1) Babies will not eliminate while they are sleeping, so always take them potty immediately after waking up in the morning or after a nap.

• 2) Take them potty after a feeding.

• 3) Before a bath.

• 4) At different intervals throughout the day (15 mins., 20 mins, etc.).

Once you get started, it gets easier and starts to become routine! You will be amazed at how easily you can tune-in to your baby. I loved showing Noa the proper place to eliminate at such an early age and now that she is older, she knows where to go. There is no un-training!

I encourage all of you parents out there to try EC even once a day to get started! You will be amazed at how natural it feels and how connected you become to your baby.

Check out these websites to get more information on going diaper-free and Elimination Communication: DiaperFreeBaby.org & the EC Store.com.

Check back here too, and I will be posting more!

Life on the Road

We have been traveling now since July 29th, and it has been quite an adventure! It has been the longest trip we have made as a family since Noa arrived in our lives. We quickly learned that 3-4 hours in a car is enough for one day and spending some time at a park or playground everyday is a must.

Many of you have blessed us by opening your homes to us and we have loved making new friends too! And there are times when we decide that a quiet night in a hotel will be a nice break, as long as we can open a window. Noa has had a blast playing with new friends which gives me a nice break too.

Overall, I think we are managing pretty well with life on the road. I definitely need to learn to not over pack, and I have some ideas to help me be a little more organized. There is definitely some consistency and routine to our days even though we may be in a new city or town.

We often have people ask us what we eat while we are traveling, and we definitely keep it simple. We actually brought our VitaMix with us on this trip and have only used it a few times. We stop at a supermarket almost everyday and are able to find organic greens, avocados and fresh fruit. We have eaten so many locally grown peaches the past 2 weeks that we decided we are peached out! Watermelons and cantaloupes are in season, so those have been a nice treat. But we only eat the seeded watermelon, and so should you! Seeded watermelon is more nutritious than the hybridized unseeded varieties and it tastes better too.

A typical day usually starts out with some fruit for us, and maybe a raw egg or two. I actually swallowed my first raw egg yesterday and liked it! It seems like an easy way to get some high quality nutrients.

Then we may eat a light salad, or some nuts or seeds like pumpkin, sunflower, cashews or walnuts. We bring apples, blueberries, raisins and any other fresh fruit we can find to snack on, and Noa likes these fruits too. I may also buy some hummus and sprouted grain tortillas to have later if I'm still hungry, and Paul and I both like to stop eating pretty early. Sometimes the day is almost over and we realized that we have not really eaten that much, and we feel okay. If I'm a little hungry and it is getting too late to eat, I might sip on a little water or tea and it takes the hunger away. That way I can still get a wonderful night of sleep on an empty stomach.

Eating on the road definitely has a few challenges, and I am looking forward to being back home and having access to a kitchen. But maybe I am enjoying having a little break from the kitchen too!

I hope to write more soon and blog more of our road trip adventures. We will be home soon and we hope to get more recipes posted too, so keep in touch!

Here is a picture of us with an amazing family who invited us to the Creation Museum in KY. We had such a great time, thank you very much!

Vegetable Nori Rolls

I love the experience of eating out, and when I went raw, I soon began to miss going to my favorite restaurants with my friends. It's a little difficult when you change your diet to find places to eat that will accommodate you. Instead of turning down invitations, I began to join my friends and sometimes I would eat before and then sip on water while everyone else indulged. Or I could find a simple salad on the menu, and I would bring my own dressing in my purse, or I would ask for a little lemon and olive oil.

But when we decided to go out for sushi, I was excited because I could actually order from the menu. I would order vegetable rolls with no rice. At first, I would get funny looks from the servers, but the sushi chefs had no problem making it for me. It may not have been that filling, but I was still able to have the sushi experience with my friends that I loved so much.

I even learned how to make my own vegetable rolls at home from my friend Jessica who had been to Japan several times. It's so easy! Once you master the rolling, you can make it with anything! I began to make my own vegetable rolls using lots of different vegetables and fruits like cucumber, carrots, avocados, sprouts and lettuce greens. You can even make nut pates and spread them on the nori sheets like you would rice.

Once I began working at Hippocrates, I learned about the alkalizing grains like quinoa and millet. After being 100% raw vegan for a while, I began eating some of these cooked grains and loved them! I even made rolls using millet and avocado and Paul loved them too!

I love making these vegetable nori rolls. They are so easy to make and you can be creative using different ingredients and they will taste great.

Paul recently talked about the importance of consuming sea vegetables like nori on The Raw Life Health Show. Right now, we have raw nori sheets available at a discounted price at The Raw Life Health Store.

Click here to order!

Here are few examples of some of the nori rolls I made recently. You can slice them like sushi or eat them as hand rolls.

If you need a little help getting the "roll" down, you can find the bamboo rolling mats at a local Asian supermarket for pretty cheap. But after a little practice, you won't even need it.

Linen for Your Health!

A few months ago, I posted about how Paul and I were making the transition to more modest clothing and how we discovered the amazing health benefits of linen fabric. We are now in the process of changing everything to linen! From our clothes, bed sheets and even curtains, we want everything to be made of linen. I am even planning to reupholster Paul's work chair with purple linen (his choice)!

It has been so exciting researching and learning about the history and benefits of linen. Linen is even mentioned throughout the Bible. It is one of the oldest textiles, dating back 3500 years ago. Yahweh instructed Moses to make garments of linen for Aaron and his sons when serving in the Tabernacle (Exodus 28:39-43). The actual Tabernacle in the wilderness had curtains made of fine linen (Exodus 26:1-6). The body of Yeshua was wrapped in linen (Matthew 27:57-61). And in Revelation, it is prophesied that linen will be used as a sign of purity: Let us rejoice and exult and give Him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure" - for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints (Revelation 19:6-8).

It is amazing to me when scientific facts confirm what the Scriptures have said for thousands of years. Linen is made from the flax plant, which is complementary with human cells. It measures 5,000 signature frequencies compared to cotton, which has 40, and organic unbleached cotton which measures 100. Pure wool also measures 5000 units of energy, but we don't need to wear any wool while in Florida! Also, wearing black of any fabric collapses the energy field, yielding it useless.

Linen provides an excellent filter protection against noise, chemical exposure and dust. Sleeping on sheets of linen can also provide a better night's sleep, absorb moisture, and is more durable than cotton bedding.

While I am browsing through stores, I try to look for anything linen. I recently found shirts and pants at Target made with 100% linen and Paul and I had a blast picking out his new wardrobe. I bought a couple of things, but I hope to start making linen skirts and tops soon, so I am holding off on buying too many items. My friend Debra has also been inspired to wear more linen and spotted linen clothes for children in the window of boutique while we were walking. The clothes were quite expensive, but looked simple to make. So making linen clothes for Noa and other young ones will be on my list to make too!

Making changes to a more modest wardrobe has been quite challenging for me, but discovering the healing benefits of wearing linen has really helped make this process more simple and easy. One health advocate whose writings have really inspired me about dress reform is Ellen G. White, author and co-founder of the Seventh Day Adventist Church. White has many teachings on diet, health and nutrition and she also emphasized the importance of proper dress by not exposing the limbs, which she claimed can cause circulation problems, and by not wearing clothing that is too tight, again causing circulation problems. I am not familiar with all of White's religious teachings, but I have found truth in her teachings about health, diet and dress.

I am amazed at how Yahweh reveals these wisdom nuggets to me as I continue on my journey to optimum health and healing. It is definitely a process and He is gentle with me as I make changes when I am ready. We are all in different places, and I am encouraged by all of you who are also growing and learning in these areas. Please post comments and share your knowledge too so we can inspire each other!

Attachment Parenting and Creating Healthy Children

We recently had the honor of hosting our friend Karen Ranzi for a few days while she began her first major book tour in West Palm Beach, speaking about her new book Creating Healthy Children Through Attachment Parenting and Raw Foods. I was familiar with the Attachment Parenting concept before I met Karen, but after meeting her when I was about 6 months pregnant at the Raw Spirit Fest 2008 in Sedona, she left a strong impression on me that helped me understand the importance of Attachment Parenting, especially the first 3 months of an infant’s life. We only had a brief discussion, but she advised me to not do anything for the first 3 months post-partum, not to worry about housework, cooking and shopping. Karen said that my main job is to hold my baby 24 hours a day, and even take showers with her! I thought that 24 hours a day seemed a little extreme, but now looking back I completely understand her urgency. Keeping our newborns close to us at all times is the most important thing they need!

I may not have been able to hold Noa 24 hours a day, but we did incorporate Attachment Parenting into our lives about 90% of the time. I carried her in a sling almost all day while she napped or just hung out. She immediately went from the car seat to my chest anytime we went anywhere. I began bathing with her and letting her sleep on my chest at night. It was amazing! I fell so in love with her and really felt a strong bond that continues to grow. Being so close to her allowed me to intuitively meet her needs and really get to know her.

Now at 15 months, she is maybe in the sling about 50% of the time. She prefers to run around and explore and is becoming very independent. But when we are out and I prefer her to be with me, then I put her in the sling and she is perfectly happy.

There are so many benefits to incorporating Attachment Parenting, and I hope to go into more detail in the future. If you are interested in learning more, please check out Karen’s book Creating Healthy Children Through Attachment Parenting and Raw Foods. I am reading it now and it is filled with so much valuable information. This book is well researched in so many areas. Karen shares her own experiences, references and testimonials as well as her wisdom and scientific knowledge of the human body. We may not be in agreement with every single issue Karen discusses, but we respect all points of view and encourage others to have an open mind and try things for themselves.

I remember when Paul and I were figuring out the things that we needed after Noa was born and I really wanted to buy this high-end stroller for about $600.00 because I thought we “needed” a bassinet. After discussing it with Paul, and then our midwife who said we don’t even need a stroller if we are doing Attachment Parenting, I decided that maybe it would be wise to spend less on a stroller and now I am so thankful we did! Noa would have grown out of the bassinet within months! I barely used the stroller until Noa was about 9 months, and then I started taking her for walks around the neighborhood once or twice a day. I continued to use the sling, and never really brought the stroller anywhere. Now Paul and I joke about how it would “not” be funny if I got my way and spent so much money on a stroller we hardly used. Thankfully Dave Ramsey has instilled in me some of his money wisdom and I can talk myself out of some of these “wants” that I think are “needs.”

If you are in the market for a stroller, then check out Karen Ranzi’s new book and maybe it will change your mind completely about even “needing” one at all.

I am continuing to understand the importance of Attachment Parenting everyday. Another great book to read is the Continuum Concept by Jane Liedloff. This book really enhanced my understanding of child wearing and co-sleeping. I understand that Attachment Parenting may not be for everyone. But I do believe that even incorporating wearing your child part-time will be of a tremendous benefit to both you and your child. I even encourage mothers with two, three and four year-olds to start wearing their children part of the day.

I look forward to writing more extensively about all of these topics in the future. Please let me know if you have any questions, comments of concerns!

Creamy Fiesta Dressing

1 cup hemp seeds
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
3 T lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar)
2 T olive oil
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1 garlic clove

(Add enough water to blend to desired consistency)

Raw Walnut Taco Filling:
1 1/2 cup of walnuts (soaked)
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
3/4 tsp. coriander
2 tsps. nama shoyu

Process in food processor. Dehyrdrate 6-8 hours.

Living Debt Free!

It has been a while since the last post, and I have been trying to make time to write, but life seems to be a little crazy lately!

We got home from our trip to California and Arizona a little over a week ago, and then it was time to prepare for Passover. I was hoping to have my spring cleaning finished before the first night, but now I am just hoping to be complete by summer! I have a few different piles accumulating that I plan to donate, including lots of clothes that I no longer wear and don't plan to wear again (and some I probably should have never worn). It feels so great to let go of these items and make room for clothes that fit into my current lifestyle.

We bought a car yesterday! One thing that Paul has taught me is to learn to live within our means. We currently drive a 10 year old car that I bought a few years before Paul and I met. He helped me pay it off when we got married, and we have shared it since then. We are strong believers in Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University and have been working to pay off all our debt, including our house. We desire to live completely debt free! It is such an amazing feeling to not be a slave to the government. We no longer use credit cards except for business transactions (which is paid off every month) and if we do not have money to buy something, we don't buy it! This was a completely new concept for me! I have had to really retrain my thinking, but now I am a strong believer in living debt free!

So we saved some money and bought a used 2002 Honda Civic with 50,000 miles. This car will be perfect to help us get around town here in West Palm Beach. It is efficient and runs great. There are a few quirks that we have to get fixed, like the back windows don't roll down and we need to install a CD player, but we own it! We did not have to take out a loan and we do not have any buyer's remorse!

I encourage any of you who may be in debt to start listening to Dave Ramsey's show, buy his book, or listen to his CD's (Click here to buy The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey from our site). He will give you step by step instructions to help free you from financial debt. We are currently free from credit card debt, school loans and car payments. Our next goal is to pay off our house, which we hope to do within the next few years. It has taken lots of prayer, discipline and retraining on my part to be able to live this way, but the blessings are abundant. We are free!