Making A Home And Family

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Oh baby, it’s been cold outside!  I’m talking negative numbers and even bigger negative numbers with the windchill, and I swear one day I could feel the cold breeze move through our old farm house.  So.. I’ve been inspired by comforting foods, reading or working with mugs of hot tea, and preparing for new projects around here (like goat kidding season).

What’s inspiring you lately?

::Coconut chocolate pie.  It’s easy with 4 ingredients and super rich and yummy!  It goes good with hot coffee.

::Oat bread by SouleMama.  Bread is a comfort food in my book and goes so good on the side of some soup.

::Thoughts on Meaningful Consumerism.  Don’t give up having beautiful things around you because you are afraid of being too much of a consumer.

::Join the kettle bell challenge with me!  It’s a good way to stay warm and fit this winter.

Have a blessed Sunday!  Stay inspired, friends!

I have an app on my phone with affirmations, and I feel like this is the one of the day.

Today’s affirmation: I love and care for my body and it cares for me.

I have been focused on health the past few days after learning a friend has been diagnosed with leukemia.  Making time for moving my body through exercise a little more, being conscious of the food I eat, and planning check ups for myself and my family.  With the focus on the health and happiness of oneself, you realize what can slide.  What things aren’t as important as living and being with one another.

Here are some health centered Sunday inspirations:

12 Foods for a Healthy Immune System

Your Body is a Mirror

Conscious Health

And because I think my husband is pretty amazing and has some wonderful insights – here’s a link to a post he wrote called “Teaching Our Kids to Challenge Authority.”  I’ll need to re-read this and remind myself about the overall goal when my daughter tries to compromise with me.

Happy Sunday, friends!

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What is more inspiring than a clean slate?  Even if January 1st is just an arbitrary number in the whole scheme of things, I really find it so motivating to wake up thinking I can start fresh and start over.

On the Winter Solstice, I made a bundle with written things I wanted to let go of from 2011.  I wrapped it up in a little towel and I threw it into the bonfire.  I was ready to release 2011, so I have been anticipating the new year.  I have a few resolutions that I have come up with while working through the Goddess Workbook and Planner.  Some are little events like pamper myself with a pedicure or run a 5K. Some are bigger adventures like planting, harvesting, and storing my garden goods.  And some are more of a personal quest like cook really good REAL food – learning to use more herbs and spices.

Here are a few inspirational links to share.  Maybe they will get you motivated to usher in the new year too.

*60 Ways to Make Life Simple

*Foods and Herbs w/Antibiotic Properties (fight that cold/flu)

*How to Make a New Years Time Capsule 

*Organizing the home (by week)

*Books I’m reading that are rocking my world: Rhythm of the Family and You Can Farm

What’s inspiring you?  What are your resolutions for the new year?

I am surrounded by inspiration this Sunday morning.

::Next to me, my daughter is painting her salt dough ornaments and explaining to me how she’s decorating and why she’s decorating the way she is.

::The lights and smells of the Christmas tree fill up the living room.

::My littlest is in my lap exploring the world around him.

::The coffee is brewing a lovely candy cane aroma.

::The floors show how inspired we were to decorate the tree then go visit friends and family instead of tidying up.

Here are some links to inspire you ~

::Aging as an honor

::Exhale

::Let it Go

Not our barn, but very similar

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Sunday Inspiration Links

::Make Your Day Awesome with your kids

::A Growing Movement of Young Farmers - how motivating to us as we transition to a farm

::I Am Enough!  When you think you’re not.

::The Fourth Trimester  Preparing for a newborn.

::Pour Awesomesauce on your Relationship even if it doesn’t come naturally

Happy Sunday!  I hope you find time to relax and refresh before the week ahead!

I’m seeing a little bit of a simplicity theme as I was putting together my links for the week.  It must be the Universe telling me that it’s about time to move to a new house with a new baby, and it is time to scale back a little bit.  I see another round of decluttering and purging coming along.  And after today’s garden harvest, I see another round of preserving for winter.  How rewarding it is!

Simplify:

72 ways

Simple House with Kids

How to Declutter

Question your habits:

Are you torturing yourself via Facebook?

12 things to do to be happy

A book I enjoyed this week:

How to Raise an Amazing Child

A new blog I’ve stumbled on through a friend:

The Cheesemonger’s Wife

I am inspired lately by countdowns and lists of projects.  We have a countdown to getting our homestead, the baby’s arrival, and things to do before both of those things happen.  Expect another post shortly about those things!

For now, it’s Sunday and I hope to find this a day of rest and recharging for the coming week.  The best way for me to wake up is with my cup of tea and some good reading online.  Here are my favorites from the week.

::20 Health Tips

::Uncertainty is okay

::10 things that surprised me about cloth diapering

::101 ways to take a break

::Do you love yourself?

::Being Present

Happy Sunday!