meditation for sanity

ten minutes of stillness each day makes all the difference in the world.  to keep me from killing my family - just kidding :)     but really, life is stressful, especially when you're trying to balance so many roles and responsibilities.  now, generally speaking, i'm not an angry person, or one to just fly off the handle.  in fact, i have been told in the past that i have the patience of a saint.  but lately, it seems i've been losing my ground.  there has been a lot of yelling going on in the house.  this is hard to admit publicly, but i know most families probably have those moments.  it doesn't feel good.  when i can see myself from the outside, i think "whoa, who is that?!"  and i've heard myself saying way too often "aaaah, you guys are driving me crazy!"  the forces of evil are trying to infiltrate our (mostly) peaceful and lovely home.  we are all fire-y in this family.  i have been praying for help to use my fire to warm people, not hurt them.  so much of it lies in how you say something to someone.  this is very important to remember, whenever possible.  you can say the exact same thing two totally different ways, and it will be received quite differently depending on how it is delivered.

so, my routine has been to make a fire in the morning after atom leaves for work (i get up with him at 4:45 a.m.!) and meditate, sit quietly, whatever you wish to call it for a good ten minutes or so.  and i finish with a wish or two, or a few...  if i don't do it first thing, i try to make sure it happens fairly early in the day.  i haven't done this regularly for a few years now, sad to say.  i've been back at it for 3 weeks or so, and it really does make all the difference in the world.  when a stressful situation arises, i stay calm; even if the impulse arises in me to fly off the handle, i usually catch it before i blow.  and there is a difference in my way, my tone of voice, my body language.  i am the peacekeeper, the mediator.  i can help those around me to stay calm & see their way through conflict to resolve.  i love it.  i love my family.

have you had any experience with this?

check out groovy nate

after much anticipation, the "Meet Groovy Nate" CD has launched!  you can buy it on the
Groovy Nate site.  support a local artist!

for those of you who don't know, Groovy Nate is an awesome children's entertainer who performs regularly around arlington, alexandria, and the d.c. metropolitan area.  he and his family happen to be good friends of ours.  a papa of two, he and his wife kisha have been developing the groovy nate thang for the past several years, and now, the release of his first CD!  kisha writes a majority of the material and has done alot more behind-the-scenes work than i initially realized, as the director and vocal coach, among other things.

nate puts on a highly engaging show - if you have young ones and haven't had the pleasure to see a Groovy Nate show yet, go to his site, and find one!  and grab a CD while you're at it. you're in for a real treat.  he incorporates puppetry, beat-boxing, and other sound effects, as well as guitar & vocals.  his show is very interactive, & he has the kids movin' & groovin', callin' out, & crackin' up.  nate also offers workshops & birthday parties, and performances can be tailored to a specific theme upon request - see his site for more info.

now, one of the coolest things about his CD for me, besides it being fabulous, is that this is my daughter adobe's vocal debut!  she is featured in several of the tracks, along with nate's two children & another friend, and she has a solo on the track "Inside Beauty".  another thing that i really love about this CD is the quality musicianship & variety of music styles from track to track - blues, hip-hop, reggae vibes & more.

if you've already checked it out, or once you do, i'd love it if you'd leave a comment!  thanks.

(photo: © artis mooney.  groovy nate leads a princess parade through the woods at a birth day party.)

for solstice: snow, glorious snow

what glorious fun, to get dumped on.  we really got a good heaping of snow, and we had a blast with it.  it's a bit surreal, days later, to still see these piles of white stuff obstructing paths & parking spots, and turned into sculpture, all around the neighborhood.  i think that's what i like the most, the temporary transformation of our surroundings.  it was so beautiful, snowing non-stop for almost two full days; and you just stay inside, mostly, and watch it fall.   it inspires awe & stillness. we had tea and hot chocolate, baked & ate special treats, sat by the fire, and made paper snowflakes.  to honor solstice and the spirit of renewal, we did some cleaning & began a decor overhaul - clearing the tops of shelves and the mantle and arranging our treasures and trinkets again, and changing up the wall art (especially because we just got our beautiful new canvases!).

then when the snows stops coming down, it calls for our action, in one way or another, whether it's work or silliness.  on sunday we shoveled, alot, so atom could venture out for his mandatory midst-of-snowstorm-excursion.  then, we got out with the kids on monday and played, running around, having snowball fights, making snow angels and a family of snow people. 

i LOVE canvas prints

just got my first canvas prints in last night, & i am so excited, i can't even tell you!  i waited anxiously all day yesterday for the fedex guy to arrive, and of course, they didn't come until i was away last night teaching.  which is good, because i very well may have tackled him/her before they got off the truck.  by the time i came home, atom had unwrapped them, & they are so beautiful.  one is for a client, one for atom for an anniversary present, & the other 3 just for all of us to enjoy.  everybody should own at least one of these.  i've been gaga-ing over them all day.  especially as a fine artist, it is so exciting to see these gorgeous photographic works of art adorning our walls.  especially since they're our photographs.   thanks simply canvas!

new traditions

it's been awhile since i've posted, but as we approach the season of rebirth, i feel inspired, and i guess it is a good time to begin again.  this is a great time of year, when everyone gets in the giving spirit, but it's always felt a bit fictitious to me, a bit suspicious, a bit random.  i mean, even if you're christian, & you're ostensibly celebrating the birth of jesus christ, it has been shown that in all likelihood, his birth was not on december 25, and perhaps not in this month, or even in this season.  i figure that this holiday was created to give the economy a little end-of-year stimulation.  i believe most of the other american holidays were created for a similar reason, and thus, i have always felt a there is a lack of connection on these holidays with anything much more than consumerism.  the associated sentiments are nice, but i don't really need an excuse to show love or gratitude to those close to me.  and i certainly don't need to stress about how much i can afford to spend and who i need to get presents for.  what about random acts of kindness?  it was different when i was a teenager and my dad would just hand me the credit card to shop for our family and friends, and i didn't really have to think about the bill on the other side.  as an adult faced with the reality of living check to check, the whole scenario didn't quite make sense.  so for years, i simply declined to participate. 

well, of course, when you have children, that's a bit harder to do.  we've struggled with how to deal with this. we talk about what's really worth celebrating at this time of year, and have avoided stressing out and spending frivolously just 'because' that's what other folks do at this time of year.  at the same time, we don't want to be scrooges, and we do want to take advantage of extra time spent together during this time.  and of course, giving and receiving gifts is fun.

so this year, we're starting a new tradition.  rebirth & the return of light - solstice to new years'.  we will recognize the solstice in some way - perhaps a nice dinner or a small party.  it may not be on the solstice since that's a monday, not sure yet.  solstice is worth celebrating because it signals the beginning of winter - a time of rest & renewal for all life - when everything goes dormant & prepares to spring forth in the warmer weather.  this is a time that's great for hibernating indoors, going for invigorating walks through the woods when your favorite spots look so different, having warm tea, and snuggling together by the fire.  even more cause for celebration is the fact that  little by little,  daylight returns & the days begin to get longer. 

then, to continue the celebration, in honor of reflection & renewal, we look forward to another year together as a family, & we will show our love for one another through gift-giving on new years' eve.  that way, we get more time to make gifts if we like during winter break when everything slows down, and shop for gifts after christmas, when everything's on sale.  then everyone can get a little more of what they want, & we can spend a little less.  brilliant, right?

the other component is the tree.  it is sad to me how many large, beautiful trees are cut down every year just to be enjoyed for a couple weeks in someone's home, then to be discarded onto the curb for trash pickup.  (i'm not bashing you if you do this, but just think about it...) we plan to buy & decorate a live tree, which we can keep  inside until spring if we like, and then plant it in our yard.  we can enjoy it year-round, and watch it grow (for as long as we live here), and let it serve as a reminder of the fun times we had in 2009.

we'll see how it goes this year, and maybe this will be our family tradition for years to come.  whatever you do, think about what it really means to you.  and if you're able, donate something to those in need, in whatever way that makes sense to you.  i am donating a bit of the money i would spend elsewhere during the holiday season to charities that support  causes that touch my heart.  more on that in another post...

happy holidays everyone!

(the image above was taken at alexandria's annual scottish christmas parade in 2006.  the gentleman was a bagpiper and epitome of what i think the real santa would look like.  © artis mooney 2006)

conserving water & saving energy

water and electricity are not limitless resources. i'd like to share a few tips for conservation that i try to practice, in my home, and wherever i go. these may be things you do already, or maybe you'll get some fresh ideas here.

first of all, as my family and i fantasize about living off-grid at some point, i try to behave (as much of the time as i can remember) as though our main supply of water comes only from rooftop collection and use of greywater (this is a wiki link on it, but if you research, you can find out much more about it). if you behave as though that water coming through the taps, and into your toilets, washing machines and hoses is limitless, it's easy to just let it run at leisure, thus wasting a lot of water. so, if you can, start there, really thinking about the fact that this water does not magically appear at your house, but comes from somewhere, going through a lengthy, energy-consuming process before it arrives at your house usable (and theoretically potable).

then, there are some other simple things you can do that will greatly reduce your water consumption, and probably your utility and electric bills as well.

• never let the water run just to run. turn it on only when you are actually using it to clean something or yourself.
• lever-type faucet handles, as opposed to knobs, help greatly with this endeavor, as you can bump it on or off with your wrist in the middle of tasks. (of course, those automatic hand-activated ones are more convenient, except they're expensive, and they use electricity.)
• when washing dishes - give the dirties a quick rinse-down. if you've got something that's particularly dirty, put a little water in the bottom of it, then turn the water off, and use that water to give it a good scrub rather than just running water over it while you try to remove the caked-on food. soap up several items, then turn the water back on and give those a quick rinse. keep in mind, you don't have to have the water on full blast. keep the water flow as light as you can while still accomplishing your task. rinse silverwares a handful at a time instead of one piece at a time. then, water off, soap up some more, water on, rinse quickly, etc.
  
• limit hot water use. alot of people use hot water when washing dishes and clothes because they think it's going to better sanitize. i've read that this is a great misconception - the water would have to boiling to kill any additional germs. i have not tested this scientifically, but it makes perfect sense to me. so, i almost always wash the clothes on cold. occasionally, i do wash whites on hot with a cold rinse if i'm bleaching them, but this may even be excessive. i'm not sure that it makes the whites any whiter, but that's what the washing instructions say to do. make sure your laundry loads are full whenever possible. it's a real waste to wash smaller loads. i almost always use cold water when washing dishes. now, i have to admit, when it's freezing outside and quite chilly in the house, i do spoil myself with a little warm water when rinsing dishes. remember, if it's hot water, you're using more energy.
• dishwashers - opt out of high-temp wash and the heated dry cycle. yes, you may have a few spots on your dishes. so what? make sure your dishwasher is totally full when you run it.
• hang a clothesline if at all possible. now, another admission. we don't tend to use the clothesline as much during the winter months. but the rest of the year, we use it for pretty much every load we wash. and it's lovely. there is nothing like crispy line-dried sheets. yes, it takes a bit more of your time, but not that much. and when it's nice and warm out, the laundry dries almost as fast as it would in the machine. it's a really nice ritual and sometimes helps me feel connected to my forebears. i think about the grandmothers and great-grandmothers (grandfathers too hopefully, although this was probably considered "women's work") and on back who not only hung the clothes on the line but also washed them by hand. if you don't have the space for a line, consider a rack to dry at least some of your clothes. you'll still be saving some energy. something is better than nothing.
  
• when brushing your teeth, turn the water off. wet your toothbrush, and turn the water off. brushabrushabrush. then, only when you are ready to rinse, turn the water back on.
• when bathing, take a quick shower most of the time. i think alot of people do this already. i treat myself to an occasional bath, but most of the time i take a shower. you use a lot less water. put the stopper in when you start the shower, and that way you are aware of how much water you are actually using, it's not just unmeasurably going down the drain. plus, your feet get a good soak. try to keep your time down. if you're bathing kids, a hand-held shower head works wonders - you can do a bath-shower mixture. and, call me a dirty hippie if you like, but do you really need to bathe every day? unless you have a job where you get really dirty, it just seems excessive to me. imagine how much water is being used if a family of four is each bathing every single day - that's alot of water. how about every two or three days for adults? the kids - again, unless they're doing something where they're getting really dirty, or they're hitting puberty and starting to produce all kinds of fun smells - isn't once a week enough? even better, if you can get more than one person going at a time, that's awesome. sometimes the kids and i do a family shower. that saves alot of water. even better, adults, hop in with your partner if you have one and have some fun! if you really want to be diligent, get wet, turn water off, soap up, shave, etc., and only turn water on when you are rinsing yourself.
• "if it's yellow, let it mellow, if it's brown, flush it down." if you haven't heard this expression, i'm referring to the toilet. flushing the toilet all the time is one of the biggest wasters of good clean water. some people think this is gross, but really, just keep the lid closed. use a small amount of toilet paper when you wipe, and you can put it in the trashcan instead of the toilet when it's just pee, that way the toilet won't be filling up with paper. now i've noticed around our house that sometimes when different people's pee mixes, it can get particularly smelly. once it starts to really stink, we'll give it a flush. but generally speaking, it's not bad at all. you can save alot of water this way.
  
• get or make a rainwater barrel for watering your plants and garden. you can set this up so it collects the water from your gutters and use it whenever possible. if you look online, you can find tons of companies selling these. we don't have one yet, but it's on my wishlist.
• last, limit your electricity use. go with daylight and candlelight as much as possible. turn lights off when you're not in the room. (my husband is always getting on us about this one.) unplug things when they're not in use - they still draw electricity even if the appliance is off, unless you have them plugged into a power strip which you can turn off. that stops the flow. this one takes a bit more diligence and i'm not always good with it. dress warmly during the winter and try not to keep the heat cranking all the time. in the summer, try to go with fans and windows - open or closed, depending on your sun exposure. experiment. keep a mister (spray bottle) handy in the heat of summer. if you fill it with water and put a few drops of your favorite essential oil in it, a few spritzes are quite refreshing and great for an attitude adjustment.

remember, we are lucky to have the resources we do. there are thousands upon thousands of people living across the globe without running water or electricity, voluntarily or involuntarily. who knows where we are headed? we may hit a point here in the states where these resources become extremely limited, if not unavailable, also. we can prepare ourselves by practicing now, and in the process, perhaps contribute to loss prevention.

that's all for now. if you have any further suggestions or want to share things you practice in your own home, please post them by clicking the comments link below this article.

not all doom & gloom + teleporting

just wanted to make clear that my posts will not be all doom & gloom since the last two posts were of the 'warning' type. but i do want to hip people to some info they may not be aware of. do what you will with it. many of the posts to come will be in the direction of affirmations, in other words, 'do this.....for a healthy life' rather than 'careful! don't do this!' i'm not an alarmist, and i believe it's important not to live a life of fear, and to constantly strive to shape words and thoughts in the affirmative rather than the negative. more on that another time...

a quick addition to this, just wanted to share an article my friend beth caporaletti had linked on her facebook page. pretty interesting: Scientists Teleport Matter More Than Three Feet.

i think i've got my own form of teleporting going on when i reach out and 'touch' someone, local or clear across the country, globe even. i've gotten really good at this. i like to call it 'psychic paging'. i'm thinking of someone, and next thing you know, they call, or write. the phone rings and i know it's them. or i'm thinking of them and try to contact them but miss them at that time. then later they say, 'that's so weird, i was thinking of you right around that moment you contacted me.' it happens so much it doesn't even surprise me anymore.

danger of plastics, in the microwave and in the car

this is a repost of an email reminder i received that i thought i would share, just in case you don't know already.

i relegated the microwave to the art studio months ago, to be used for heating wax, melting plastic, or blowing things up :) - we use a toaster oven or the stove for our food.

Cancer Update from John Hopkins
(This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well.)

No plastic containers in microwave.
No water bottles in freezer.
No plastic wrap in microwave.
A dioxin chemical causes cancer, especially breast cancer.

Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don 't freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic.

Recently, Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Castle Hospital , was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating our food in the Microwave using plastic containers... This especially applies to foods that contain fat. He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body...

Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food... You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else. Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper. It's just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons...

Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food. Cover food with a paper towel instead.

This is an article that should be sent to anyone important in your life!

ALSO -------------------------------------
Bottled water in your car - very dangerous. This is how Sheryl Crow got breast cancer. She was on the Ellen show and said this same exact thing. This has been identified as the most common cause of the high levels in breast cancer, especially in Australia. A friend whose mother was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and the Doctor told her: women should not drink bottled water that has been left in a car. The doctor said that the heat and the plastic of the bottle have certain chemicals that can lead to breast cancer. So please be careful and do not drink bottled water that has been left in a car, and, pass this on to all the women in your life. This information is the kind we need to know and be aware and just might save us! The heat causes toxins from the plastic to leak into the water and they have found these toxins in breast tissue. Use a stainless steel canteen or a glass bottle when you can!

LET EVERYONE WHO HAS A WIFE / GIRLFRIEND / DAUGHTER KNOW PLEASE

high fructose corn syrup - gotta give it up

i've already heard many bad things about high fructose corn syrup, and yet in the past couple years i've slipped again and have been ignoring it to some extent. pick and choose your battles as they say. yes, i've had my fair share of cokes and candies and other seemingly delicious products over the past few years. and have even dropped my guard enough to allow my daughter to consume some of these sinful items as well, on occasion. not anymore. this battle has begun again. and it is difficult, because it is in everything. read your ingredient labels.

why is it bad? for one, in layman's terms, and from my own research and common sense, the pesticides used on non-organic corn are some of the absolute worst. research atrazine, to begin with. unless you are committed to eating organic (at least your produce), you are consuming alot of pesticides. why is that bad? from an article titled The Dangers of Pesticides to Humans on purezing.com: "Pesticides effects on humans are damage to the nervous system, reproductive system and other organs, developmental and behavioral abnormalities, disruption of hormone function as well as immune dysfunction." read the full article. especially if you have children.

i believe that high fructose corn syrup is directly related for a panoply of health problems that have inundated our society during my lifetime, including obesity and autism. the incidence of autism has sky-rocketed in the past 20 to 30 years, this just happens to coincide with the period when HFCS started being put into everything. do your own research, there is plenty of information out there. a really great video on youtube by dr. vincent bellanzi addresses HFCS and the dangers of processed 'foods' in general.

well, now, some researchers are coming out with a study announcing that toxic levels of mercury have been found in high fructose corn syrup, which has found its way pervasively into our 'food chain' over the past 30-35 years or so. it is the 2nd or 3rd ingredient in so much of what the average person consumes, including sodas, candies, salad dressings, barbeque sauce, jam, yogurt, gatorade, nutra-grain cereal bars, and the list goes on... read an article on it by reuters uk that goes into more detail. or you can watch or listen to a segment on this, (and the recent story that came out about salmonella-contaminated peanuts that were shipped out by a georgia plant) on democracy now!. there is some really great specific information in this segment about how this mercury got into the HFCS and the FDA's role in this.

there are tons of chemicals in the foods most people typically eat. in my opinion, the FDA and the AMA have been conducting a mass experiment on the american people over the past 50 to 60 years. what we call 'organic' farming today used to be the norm. but that's the subject for another post.

the bottom line is, we all indulge from time to time, but there are so many delicious, truly healthful things you can eat. overall, a good rule of thumb is this: the ingredient list should be short. if you can eat whole, organic grains, fruits, and vegetables, locally grown when possible, and foods with the least amount of processing and preservatives possible, your body, heart, & mind will thank you.

boundless voice beginnings

this is a test of the artismooney broadcasting system...

i've been wanting to start a public blog, even though as yet i barely have time to publish to my personal blog, and make changes to my website.

but i have to do it. i have so much going on in my head all the time that i want to write about. and as my other blog and website are made with iweb, i figured i'd check out this blogger thing and see how i like the format.

if you happen to be stumbling upon this, here, sometime in the future, you will find ramblings about all manner of things, including holistic health practices, musings on politics, childrearing, 'homeschooling', teaching, the history of institutionalized schooling, the (brief) history of institutionalized childbirth, love, travel, daydreams, food as medicine, adventures with my art & photography,... the possibilities are boundless.

in the meantime, check out my website, www.artismooney.com to see some of my art & photography and learn a little more about me.