Archive for November, 2009

1. looku, 2. yes, the shirts are matching, 3. Untitled, 4. downtown walla walla, 5. 30 Days of Happiness :: friends, 6. 30 Days of Happiness :: friends, 7. 30 Days of Happiness :: Pesto in the making, 8. school bus living, 9. Holes in the walls, 10. Our parking spot in LA, 11. The bus — finally looking nice, 12. bench monday | girl + her cat edition, 13. 212/365 All alone, 14. Bench Monday, 15. new plugs!, 16. Hooping, 17. 204/365 Let go of certainties, 18. hot wheels, 19. camera tattoo, 20. 200/365 You and I, 21. Untitled, 22. Yes, 23. Beads + Sunset = Dang!, 24. 191/365 Maine Style, 25. SoftScent

Photos speak right to my soul…here are a few that I love lately.

We are nestled into the Redwoods south of San Francisco…with perfect QUIET all around. But we have a little bit of wi-fi, so I wanted to let you know who WON last week’s giveway!! Random.org picked commenter #5…Sarah M. Enjoy your soaps and goodies my dear…and everyone else stay tuned for the next giveaway!

Be sure to swing back to Mama’s Herbal Soaps and order up your Christmas gifts and yumminess…using the 15% off code WalkSlowlyLiveWildly.

I love giveaways. And I love you guys. So, without further ado, I present to you:

Sara’s Magical Month of Giveways!
Yes, you read that right. A MONTH! Four bliss-filled weeks of goodness. Aren’t you excited? You should be. Because I have four of the coolest, most talented mamas participating and I can’t wait for you to meet them all. I am so blessed to meet such a unique mix of souls while we’re on the road, and this is my way of “introducing” a few of them to you.

To kick things off, we have the fabulous Shauna of Mama’s Herbal Soaps. I had so much fun with Shauna in Portland a few weeks ago…I only wish we could have spent MUCH more time together. She is truly an artist when it comes to soapmaking and believe me when I tell you this: HER SOAP IS AMAZING. Just reading through the flavor list gets me giddy. You may have seen her soaps on the ever popular Soul Flower site…she has fans everywhere!

Here are the giveaway goods – your choice of flavors (a $40+ value!):

The “Lovely Soap Gift Set” Includes FOUR 3.5 oz bars
Hemp Washcloth
Mama’s Lip Balm

And for those of you who want to order some goodies for yourself right now…Shauna will give you 15% off your total order if you enter the coupon code: “WalkSlowlyLiveWildly”. Be sure to check out the entire site…it’s so much more than soap. I love the baby line of products and the cool shaving mugs.

To enter your name in this giveaway:

• Leave a comment and tell me which flavor of soap sounds the yummiest! Or if you have tried Shauna’s soaps, tell us your fave
• For an extra entry, put a link back to this giveaway on Facebook or Twitter (and then do a second comment here that says “FB/Twitter”)

I will draw the winner at random on Friday, November 27 (deadline is 12 PST). I may not be able to post the winner until next week, however, because we will be deep in the forests of northern California for Thanksgiving and there is no internet/cell service!

One last thing…don’t forget to become a “fan” of Mama’s Herbal Soaps on Facebook!

It’s no secret that I’m obsessed with small living spaces. So…you can imagine my delight when I came across The Tiny House blog. First off, how was I not reading this already? Hmmmmmm. It’s SO GREAT. It doesn’t focus on any one type of tiny house…it just gives a great mix of tiny house inspiration. *love*

We’re hanging out in Eugene with a family who shares our passion for alternative housing and they got me all excited again about cob, strawbale, yurts, you name it. They also gave me some new book ideas…and I ordered them for my birthday! Here they are:

Home Work: Handbuilt Shelter (I’ve read this, but have never owned it…until now!)
Radical Simplicity

I love dreaming about pulling our RV up to a cozy little cob house…as sort of an “extension” to the RV. A home base for when we’re feeling “nesty”. That would be ideal for us…to have a tiny handmade house that we could park our rolling house next to   Someday…

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/neil_b/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

When we were on the road last time, I am pretty sure the right side of the RV was grossly over the weight limit. That’s where all of my books were stored. This time around, I came up with a solution! Let me introduce you to my new favorite space saving, lightweight, environmentally friendly device…my KINDLE!

I first heard about the Kindle on Jess’s blog…she was raving about it and I thought it was a fun idea, but I didn’t think about it any further. Then I saw another person raving about theirs online. Then I did an informal Facebook poll and was overwhelmed at the number of people who had a Kindle and LOVED it. I was hooked.

I researched A LOT and found that although there are several electronic book reading options out there, the Kindle was the most popular. I did think about waiting for the Nook, but I’m impatient (it’s not released yet). When Apple releases one in the future…I’ll be all over that one. Anyhoo…I talked with Matt and we both agreed that the Kindle would be a smart option for someone who is on the road full time.

I ordered it.
It arrived.
I fell in love.

Here is why:

It looks cool…and I like to look cool.
How can you not love that green cover? Oh my word. Love it. No seriously, the Kindle just really has a nice feel to it. It holds well in your hand, with or without a case. I prefer the case because with kids, I worry about it getting stomped upon. It’s also a little easier to hold while I’m nursing at night, because the flap blocks my book light from Lucy’s eyes (yes, book light…there is no back light to prevent eye strain).

Accessibility.
I can read anywhere…anytime…and have MANY different books with me at one time. Up to 1500, in fact! I can also read major newspapers from around the world, magazines, and blogs. I mostly stick with the books, but I do enjoy reading single issues of the newspaper once in a while. I love that when we are away from the RV, I don’t have to load my bag with 2-3 books that I am reading at the time. I just grab my Kindle and go. AND, I know that if I need to, I could download a new book from Amazon in less than 1 minute (literally). Everything is delivered wirelessly on a cell signal (already set up and included when it arrives).

Good for mama.
I think Kindles are great for the mama crowd. There are no paper books to get strawberries smashed into, pages ripped out of, or thrown in the pool. Only an expensive electronic device to ruin. ha. That’s why I bought the extended warranty, which allows for one (and one only) replacement Kindle if you break it.

I’ve fallen in love with reading again.
I’ve always been a reader. I love transporting myself to another time and place through a book. But, since having kids, I can’t remember the last time I FINISHED a book. Completely. To the last page. Since receiving my Kindle, I’ve finished three books (Tales of a Female Nomad , The Help and Unschooling: A Lifestyle of Learning…all of which I LOVED! The Help was amazing). While on the road, we can’t check books out from the library (usually)…so it’s so fun to be able to read all of these new books.

I’m reading books I wouldn’t normally read.
Now I’m starting to sound like a commercial for Amazon They don’t pay me I promise! I love the option to “sample” books on the Kindle. You can search through the Amazon website and if something looks interesting, with just one click, it will magically appear on your Kindle via wireless delivery. You can read a chapter or two of the book, and then decide if you want to buy the rest. So great. This feature is also a tool to help keep a list of books you want to read in the future.

Many of you are purists when it comes to your never ending obsession with books and reading. You wouldn’t even think about replacing that hardback in your hands with an electronic device. I’m not going to argue with you I too love the feel of a real book in my hands. I love the smell and the familiar feel of it after you’ve been reading it for awhile. And let’s not forget the power of books as an “object” in your home. They serve as decoration and conversation starters. I love looking at other people’s books on their shelves…you can learn a lot about a person that way! Some of my favorite books could never be replaced by a Kindle version (i.e. The Material World, Hungry Planet, etc).

However, the Kindle serves a very specific purpose for me…and that is to allow me to have an abundance of books with me on the road without taking up space. And as an added bonus, it happens to be environmentally friendly because I’m not out buying paper books.

There are only a few downsides to the Kindle in my opinion. They are pretty expensive. And I’ve found that it’s really easy to rack up the dollars when it’s so simple to buy books (for ONLY $9.99!) But that’s it. I haven’t found much that I don’t like.

And now you’re wondering, what is on Sara’s Kindle? Well, let me tell you what I’m reading and sampling right now

• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
• Unconditional Parenting: Moving from Rewards and Punishment to Love and Reason
• A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
• Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God
• Playful Parenting
• The One Year Bible
• The Power of a Praying Wife
• Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear

Tell me your favorite books…I love a good page-turner, one that I just can’t put down! What should I read next?

I first discovered yoga when I was pregnant with Bella 5 years ago. I did a few yoga DVD’s and really enjoyed it. And then, I promptly forgot about it. Fast forward to our tour. I became very interested in it again…mostly because it was something that I could do in a small space and with very little equipment. I sought out a few yoga studios along the way and attended my FIRST “real” yoga class while we were in Georgia. I also took a class with Dayna Gelinas, who has a the only Christian yoga instructor course in the country. When I was pregnant with Lucy, I did yoga DVD’s and attended prenatal yoga classes as often as I could and even attended a prenatal yoga instructor training when we were in Denver.  I felt SO good during my pregnancy when I was keeping up with my yoga practice…especially in the 3rd trimester.

Yoga is more than just a class you take at the gym or studio. Yoga, for me, is a way to bring more QUIET into my life. Quiet in my mind. Quiet in my body. It helps me to focus my attention on things that really matter to me…namely, God and family. Doing yoga can be very worshipful…I try to focus my thoughts toward God as I stretch and breathe. I might repeat scripture out loud or simply find a word that becomes a mantra (i.e. “Holy” or “Provider”) and saying it with each breathe. I enjoy playing some music quietly and/or burning some incense as well. I love the way the mat feels under my feet and how the world seems to melt away (assuming that I am practicing early in the morning or late at night…without Bella climbing on me during it!). Speaking of kids, yoga is a great way for them to connect with their body and calm down. Bella will often lay down in child’s pose when she needs some quiet time and it helps her to re-focus.

Although I started out with DVD’s, I’ve recently started doing my own yoga instead of following along on a DVD or even going to a studio. I found that I really enjoyed being able to hold the postures longer and doing the postures that I enjoyed, instead of what someone else thought would be beneficial. I also really like Yoga Today, and did their sessions regularly at home before we went on the road. If you’ve never been to a studio, you might like trying their free class online. There are certain instructors I like better than others on there, so don’t give up if you don’t like your first class I paid for the subscription service and really enjoyed being able to choose what style of class I was in the mood for that day.

If you’ve wanted to try yoga, but haven’t known where to start…I would recommend learning the Sun Salutation series and get really good at that before moving on. You can watch a quick instructional video on YouTube here and a more in depth video here. The sun salutation is a great way to jump start your day…repeat it 5-6 times and you’ll be feelin’ happy! There are several different types of yoga…each with their own twist. Each type tends to overlap into the others…here is a good explanation of them all. I think everyone who is interested in yoga should try at least one studio class…it’s SO HELPFUL to have someone who can help you with postures in a hands-on way and offer advice on pushing yourself a little farther. I also love the sense of community in a class as well…especially in the prenatal classes.

Over the years I’ve gotten many questions about how yoga jives with following Jesus. I’m not into debating about it, because everyone has their own opinion about it and most of the time they’ve already made up their mind I can only base my opinion on my own experiences and I’ve found that yoga hasn’t hindered my faith at all…but has instead, strengthened it.

However, I am aware that the “yoga culture” is steeped in New Age philosophy and many people practicing yoga are followers of Eastern religions. This can scare some Christians away from yoga. Everyone has to decide for themselves after doing their OWN research, not just going on what they’ve heard from friends, etc.   I keep a watchful eye on anything in a class that isn’t Biblical…you won’t find me chanting the names of Hindu gods and I tend to stay away from teachers who “lead” a little too much in classes. Yoga has become so mainstream now, that it’s not difficult to find a teacher that focuses more on the postures than the spiritual side of things.

All in all, I am SO thankful to have found yoga. It’s been such a blessing for me and I love it! I am so much more aware of my body and my breath when I am actively practicing and I miss it when I go too long without it.

Here are some of my yoga faves:

Websites:
Yoga Today
Yoga is Yummy
I have recently discovered Polly over at Yoga is Yummy. She has tons great videos on her site…here is one for beginners.
YouTube: There are SO many yoga videos on YouTube. Happy searching!
An article about “Getting Back on the Mat” after having a child

DVD’s:
I don’t own any non-pregnancy yoga DVD’s, but I really like Sean Corne and Shiva Rea.
My favorite prenatal DVD was Jennifer Wolfe’s Prenatal Yoga and Shiva Rea’s Prenatal Yoga.

Books:
Hatha Yoga Illustrated
My Daddy is a Pretzel
Yoga for Dummies

Gear:
My Manduka Mat (in moss)
Mat Bag (moss green/duffle style)
Bolster (so awesome for tight backs)
Eye Pillow (I love this thing!)
Blocks/Straps from Gaiam