I am an entrepreneur that is committed to improving the lives of women, minorities and youth in a natural, green and holistic way! I am a community maven by profession, and a wife and mother by choice.
So, I am excited to go to a fun fundraiser this evening to receive an award for a collaborative project at work. However, I have no clue what to wear.
I used to dress better on a day to day basis. I wasn’t a fashionista but I tried to keep on trend and season. Lately, I am pretty lazy in the fashion department. I have taken to working out 4-5 days per week which means I mostly in active wear like yoga pants. At work…well at work I am grossly underdressed as I tend to dress for the agenda of the day, not for the position I have or want to have. Some days I am working at neighborhood meetings, other days meeting with funders and CEOs. The former I wear jeans, the latter I don a dress or suit.
So when I reviewed the invite for today’s event and it cited “sporty casual” for the dress code I was left scratching my head and wondering what the heck that is. After the oh so scholarly google search, I found that it could mean country club attire but no jeans or even errand-wear with sneaker-type shoes. Then I found this video which made me even more confused!
I’m just going to pick something comfortable but nicer than yoga pants and see what happens. Maybe I’ll post pics later. In the meantime, you can support my fundraising team!
So for those of you that know me, you won’t be surprised by my next statement. Once we decided to get the puppy, I started researching and reading. I would highly suggest that others do the same. I started talking to people that I knew who love dogs. I did what every good researcher does these days, I ‘Googled’ and visited random website and checked out a few clips on YouTube.
But by far the best thing that I did was reply-all to a play date email indicating our family would soon get a pup and fellow Kindergarten mom replied with a short “Let me know if you need any recommendations for great god training books and/or classes’. I replied, ‘OMG! I am SO nervous! I’ve never had a dog but promised the kids…I welcome any and all suggestions, tips, books, consulting…’ Within minutes she then became my puppy idol! Mrs. Moose aka “The local dog whisperer” with what has to be the longest non-work email I have received in years! She was a Godsend. So I now share that wisdom with you.
Mrs. Moose says:
We chose the greatest breed in the world – YAY labs!
You MUST read The Art of Raising a Puppy ( I have since purchased at Half Priced Books)
and How to Raise the Perfect Dog by Cesar Milan, both of which I immediately downloaded via the local library and started reading.
Did I mention this about a week before we actually scheduled to pick up the pup? I immediately felt even more overwhelmed because I hadn’t read these months ago BEFORE we committed with the breeder. So for those of you considering the addition of a pup to the family, I recommend that you stop reading this blog and start reading these books now!
In addition to suggesting two great books, she basically summarized what I would read in the how to pick your pup chapters and what to do when he gets home.
So it was official, ready or not, I was going to be an experienced puppy-raiser and dog owner.
So the kids ask daily, ‘have you heard anything yet’. I respond, ‘no, not yet’. It’s almost a daily routine. Even though I am most reluctant, we are all eagerly awaiting to pick our pup of the litter. Carla continues to send pics every now and then, but no news on we can visit. Christmas comes and goes and we wait. We begin to realize that we no absolutely nothing about how to raise a puppy. The kids want to purchase dog beds every trip to my favorite family store. (Costco!) Finally, I give into their urge to buy items for the new pup like we would if were expecting a little baby. What pushed me over the edge? The fact that the kids wanted to spend part of their coveted Christmas Gift money!
So, we took a trip to PetSmart. It was the best pet shopping trip ever! The staff was knowledgeable and helpful. We asked a TON of questions: What do we need? (they gave us a list) Where we should put him in if we’re going to be gone working during the day? What should we feed him? What is a kong again? (We found out it is this)
Are you sure we need that? What about grooming? Classes? You mean we gotta pay for puppy school? The kids spent their allotted amount, I kicked in another $20. We purchased our pups collar and tag that announces that he is “Mousse Officer”, an official family member. We left the store with several unchecked boxes on “the list”.
I left feeling a little overwhelmed and feeling like this was going to be one of the biggest challenges of my life. Babies I can do, but geez, this puppy stuff was just as intense minus the lifetime commitment and pain of giving birth of course.
The 14-yr-old searched and searched almost obsessively so until she found a breeder of Labradors within a decent driving distance. We called and asked questions. Clearly we were novices and apparently didn’t ask all of the right questions I have learned since that time. Oh well, the kids were happy, their dream was finally coming true. We were getting not just a dog, but a puppy.
The breeder was nice, she said she’d send us pictures. I was having second thoughts as the adoption of our new family member was becoming a reality. The deal was sealed once I mailed in a deposit to have first dibs on a chocolate male. The breeder, Carla, gave us an estimated time of arrival and agreed to send us pictures frequently. Every day the kids want to know if “she” i.e. Carla has called with an update. Well, they didn’t come so frequently but the litter was born December 12, 2011. Here are some of the shots – the excitement’s brewing at our house.
So there comes a time in many parents’ lives when there child(ren) ask that big question, ‘Can we get a [ insert the animal of choice]. My day came several years ago when my daughter (about 6/7 yrs at the time) asked for a puppy. I solemnly answered with an ‘I don’t know’ or ‘not right now’ when I really should have answered a clear ‘no’.
Instead, I appeased her with gold and beta fish for a number of years ( I actually think we hold the record for number of YEARS we kept our state fair fish alive). Even though I averted the question successfully, the results were only temporary. Every once and a while my daughter would test the waters and wonder if today was the day I’d change my mind.
Several times I told her that it may be a possibiliy once we moved out of our condo into a house with a yard. Years passed and I had aother child, whom as soon as he could talk, my daughter had on the puppy bandwagon. Well in June 2010 we finally moved out of our condo. I deferred puppy questions with answers like ‘ we just moved’, ‘we don’t even have all of the rooms furnished yet’, and ‘we don’t live a pet owner lifestyle’. The children in their persistence kept the puppy dream alive. Researching canine breeds, breeders, and kennels.
Then one evening (most likely in a stressful stuper) I finally agreed. I clearly stated my objections, expectations, and apprehensions to becoming a dog owner. No one cared and I was vetoed. We were getting a dog within the year. Things began to move more rapidly as we narrowed the breeds and ended up with a chocolate lab as the family dog of choice. I was told by a dog lover friend via fb that a lab equalled ‘big eats and big poops! Just what a novice needs.
We found a breeder, got an estimate date of arrival and picked a name. The puppy is joining the family! Stay tuned!
So yesterday I posted about gardening 101 and suggested those with limited space and experience try a kitchen herb garden to start- check out this post that features a few how-to videos on the topic! Enjoy!
Here are two video’s that outline some basics that might help some of you out there who think they have a Brown Thumb. Perennial herbs are an easy first step into the world of gardening and usually have a great bang for the buck. Just make sure you plant things you will use in your cooking, i.e. don’t do Thai basil if you don’t like Thai food or other Asian dishes that call for it. Amazes me every time I’m in the grocery store and I see those Seasoning & Spices prices!
Over the course of my adult life I have developed into a more environmental conscious person. While I still consider myself a budding environmentalist, in comparison to many of my peers, I have been called a “tree-hugger”.
My path has transitioned from natural hair, to natural personal care, then to natural home products and now more organic and local eating and recycling. I am becoming a better-rounded “greenie”. It was only a matter of time for me to embrace growing my own vegetable garden. Actually, the concept of backyard gardening was not new to me as I was often my grandpa’s gardening assistant (aka he was retired and babysitting me) in the summers when I was growing up. So naturally, when the time came for me to start my own garden, I immediately sought him out for advice. Now the tides are turning and my good friend, Kela, Founder of Today’s Modern Family, has contacted me for the very same advice.
So here goes nothing a novices’ notes on starting a vegetable garden!
First things first, visit garden.org site to get a crash course on the growing season. Here in the Midwest, we have to be careful not to plant summer crops before the last frost. You may think you can only grow summer squash, tomatoes, and an occasional strawberry bush, but in reality you can grow quite a bit in an Indianapolis growing season. In late spring and summer you can plant “cool weather” crops such as lettuces, peas, and other greens. You can also grow a kitchen herb garden year-round.
The next decision would be where the garden will be planted. I often thought that gardening was only for those with a sprawling yard in the ‘burbs’ or country but increasingly urban dwellers in cities, apartments and condos are getting in on the action. For those with limited outdoor space, I’d suggest a container garden stocked with your faves and paired with your kitchen herb garden. For those of you in cities, be on the lookout and do a search on community gardens, co-ops and urban farms in your area.
Check out my space year one! 1st garden cucumber plants (foto para mi) My 1st year garden beds (foto para mi)
The next decision I will make for you – grow organically! Among the many reasons to grow your own food is that it’s fresh – you know where it came from and hopefully that’s a garden free of toxic pesticides and artificial growing aids!
The final decision-making point…what are you going to grow? From personal experience, this is largely determined by taste buds of your household and the amount of space dedicated for planting your crops. Word to the wise…grow what you like and what your family likes. There is nothing like having a yard full of summer squash that both you and the kids will only want to eat twice during the summer! However, if you network with your neighbors and other local growers you could do veggie swaps and switch out your great squash for your neighbors tasty okra or peppers!
My first year I grew, tomatoes, summer squash, cucumbers, radishes, and peppers. Last growing season, I had lettuce, collard greens, onions, summer squash, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, and okra ( I added a new bed). I have had mixed success (due to my own personal inconsistency) with my herb garden but this year I am trying again with cilantro and mint – two of my faves. Basil was easy to grow but I found I didn’t use it very often so it was a waste for me.
So clearly there is a lot to think about and I haven’t even mentioned how to grow or plant anything yet. So this blog post will need to be continued into the growing season, until then visit some of my favorite sites for growers in Indy:
• Keep Indianapolis Beautiful
• Indy Tilth (created by colleague of mine)
• Castaway Compost (because of course you’re going to compost!)
• Fall Creek Gardens aka Indy’s Urban Growers Resource Center
• And of course you can “google” and find others including your local extension service’s Master Gardener program – here it’s Purdue Extension!
Happy Gardening!
So one thing I like to do to keep things simple in my busy world is to cook. The problem is that I am often too busy to do so in a way that will result in my family eating dinner before 9 p.m. The following is a hearty meal to warm up the body and household AND won’t require cooking tomorrow
I chose to combine 3 recipes from (The Ultimate Vegan Chili Recipe on www.vegetariantimes.com, the The Best Vegetarian Chili in the World on www.allrecipes.com, and the My Favorite Chili recipe from the The Gourmet Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Lynn Alley, which combined to make a warm, hearty and delicious end to my full weekend.
I combined in slow cooker: 2 cans of dark red kidney beans, one can of black beans, and one can of garbanzo beans –rinsed.
Meanwhile I sautéed onion, garlic, jalapeño, and mushrooms, and celery in olive oil.
I then combined all the ingredients in the slow cooker and added additional spices: oregano, cumin, chili powder, sea salt, paprika, and black pepper with water.
After about 2 hours I added frozen corn kernals and green, red and orange bell peppers. ( I added a few orange and red peppers because I thought it would be pretty)
Garnish with cilantro (sour cream and cheese if not feeling especially vegan that day)
I left out the following, but wondered about these ingredients from the various recipes: cocoa powder, cinnamon, aniseed, coriander seeds, allspice berries, vegetarian burger crumbles, tomato paste, tamari, carrots, Worcestershire sauce.
The result was delicious if I do say so myself. My family felt there were too many beans which gave them a “free to pass gas at will” pass for the next two nights.
I love, love cooking and wish I had more time to do so. Sorry there are no pics – by the time I posted the pot was good and empty!
My journey to holistic wellness has been an on again off again experience. I have read a number of books, articles, blogs, etc. and I believe I KNOW what to do. I have even given advice and references to others – I know better now I have to do better and follow my own advice.
I try not to make New Year’s Resolutions, but I do like to set goals for the upcoming year. This year, I want to locate a holistic health practitioner. I want a master of eastern and western health to guide me to optimal health. In addition, I am renewing my commitment to a part vegetarian part vegan diet and losing soda—I also hope to finally get on a regular (regular for me) workout routine—something I haven’t been able to do successfully since a short stint in 2004/2005. That’s five years of sporadic activity including walking at the park, random aerobics classes and trips to the gym, a few fun dance and pole classes but nothing consistent.
So to help me in my commitment to getting back on track this year – yesterday I joined the Dr. Oz Just 10 Challenge.
Excited to see that my first hurdle of the year was also the first step in the challenge—not drinking soda! YAY – I feel like I am making strides in the right direction! I will have to make ginger ale the exception though. The punch I make with it when I “host” guests in my home is just too good!
So since I feel like I will master step 1 with ease – I thought I should move on to step 2—hit the brakes this one may take a while! Step #2 is to stop eating 3 hours before you go to bed. Um….the evening snacks and late night dinners will have to go. Although I am not nearly as bad at this as I used to be, it will be a challenge – because of my busy lifestyle. I’ll keep you posted how this and future steps go.
Simply Starla 