Blog News

Going away for a week always makes coming home a bittersweet experience.  It’s nice to get home, but it’s not always so nice to come home to all the emails and mail that accumulated while gone.

Coming home this week from Ukraine was bittersweet for a lot of reasons, and I hope to get all my thoughts out into a blog post at some point soon.  I’m still processing a lot of it.

But on the mundane topic of backed up mail, I thought I’d just put up a quick post to say how nice it was to open my energy bill today and see that we saved $4 on our gas bill and $3 on our electric bill – even in the peak of summer.  And with greener energy.  Nice!

Glad we made the switch almost two years ago.  Very happy still with our provider.  🙂

Just wrapping up day #4 of “flying solo” without Fred, and so far, it’s been OK.

Of course, we miss him lots, but it hasn’t been the insanity I might have expected.

I’ve somehow managed to keep up with laundry, dishes, and most of my business to-dos, while also feeling like I’m getting some good time with the kiddos.  They’ve been helping with the chores pretty nicely, so there’s been a bit more of a “team picking up the slack for being down a major member” atmosphere here at home.  Of course, there has been the normal sibling bickering now and again, too, but they’ve also been playing pretty nicely overall.  And Mom-mom has stopped by every evening to pick the girls up from VBS while I get the boys down to bed.  It’s certainly been nice having her around in the evenings.  Thank you, Mom-mom!

The kids all seem to miss Daddy in their own way.  The girls have outright said multiple times, “I miss Daddy.”  Matthew asked me tonight, “Where is Daddy?”  When I said “on the other side of the world,” he looked a bit confused, so I clarified, “far away,” and he just looked sad.  And Andrew has just been a little squirrelier than usual at bed time.  I think he really misses the routine of Daddy coming to snuggle him down to bed after Mommy gives him some night-night nursies.

So where in the world is Fred?  In case you hadn’t heard, he’s in Ukraine on a short term missions trip, helping a local church over there with English language ministries for youth.  I don’t really know much more than that he arrived, as evidenced by the voicemail he left me when I missed his call yesterday (sad), the Facebook post he put up somehow, and the picture that our friend Kristy put up on Facebook for me…

That’s Fred, second from the right, with his ‘travel hat.’

That hat!  Love that hat!  It has survived the ridiculous crashing waves of the New Zealand coast and many an other adventure over the years.

The only other thing that I do know is that God is up to something very cool – in the lives of the students, in the lives of the team members, in Fred, in me, in our kids… in the world at large…  sorry, can’t help it, I’m a big picture person these days!

Good stuff.

I can’t wait to get over there next week and join him!

Yup, Andrew and I will be heading over next Tuesday, to join Fred and the team for the last 5 days of the trip.  It’s a red-eye, so I figure it’s either going to be great ’cause he’ll sleep, or awful ’cause he’ll scream.  🙂

So, yeah, speaking of “flying solo” – any tips, besides nursing, for long flights alone with a crazy, 19 month old bundle of energy?  I’m thinking books – he’s been getting really into books lately…

If you’re “the praying sort,” I’d definitely like to put out a special request for prayers for the trip – thank you!   And if you’re not, I’ll also appreciate the kindness behind whatever good thoughts or well wishes you want to ‘think my way’ – thanks!  🙂

Oh, and I guess I should start thinking about packing sometime soon, eh?  Wow, I’ve changed.  The pre-kids me would have been overpacked and ready at least a full week in advance.  Now, I plan to throw a few things in a bag and just go.  It’s only 5 days.  We can rough it.  ;o)

Sometime in late May or early June, I had the wonderful opportunity to receive a review copy of a new book by one of my favorite authors – or author families, I guess.

In mid-May, I received an email from Emma Sleeth at BlessedEarth.org, who is herself a published author.

Her father, Matthew Sleeth wrote a book called, Serve God, Save the Planet, which I read back in June of 2010.

That book, combined with my shocking discovery (since I was working as a WAHM consultant with a pretty well known, semi-natural company at the time, it really was a shock to me) of a product line that was truly organic from a company deeply committed to sustainable business practices, were two major forces that God used to ‘kick it up a notch’ for me on my journey of more natural living.

Contrary to the secular humanist worldview of sustainability that says, ‘We can save the world by changing how we live,’ my perspective is a bit different.  I guess you could say it’s more along the lines of ‘we love because He first loved us.’

Don’t get me wrong.  There are LOT of wonderful, amazing people out there doing great things for sustainability from all different walks of life and every possible religious background, who I truly admire greatly.  In many cases, I suspect their hearts may be more in tune with the heart of God than are the hearts of some church-goers in America.  Nonetheless…

I don’t put much stock in man’s ability to save ourselves from ourselves.

I am not on a journey of continual change for sustainable living because I think that by doing so, *I* (or the collective we) will save the world.

I am on this journey because God has convicted my heart about making daily choices increasingly more in line with His heart, out of an ever deepening love for Him and for all His creation – including of course, all people.

As He reveals His Love more and more to all the world and changes our hearts more and more, He will, through us, restore the world to a sustainable future – one where He is recognized as the Sustainer of all life and where everything is put back into harmony under His loving authority.

The Sleeth family gets that.  They have been on this journey for a while now too, and each book I’ve read shares a bit more of their own story on this journey of conviction and love.

In her newest book, Almost Amish, Nancy Sleeth (wife to Matthew and mom to Emma) weaves together her own family’s story with time honored (even if not always honored by the broader culture) ways of the Amish people to make a very compelling and attractive case for slowing down, simplifying things, and living more sustainably.  And, as with all the Sleeth-family books, Nancy’s warm-hearted, personable style can be appreciated by people of all worldview perspectives.

All my life, I’ve lived within just a few hours drive of Lancaster County, and I’ve certainly been aware of the Amish people.  But, I’m not sure I ever gave much thought to why they have chosen to remain so true to their traditions.

Nancy’s book both helped me to better understand the Biblical roots to the Amish way of life, and encouraged me to continue pressing on in this journey.

When I read books like Almost Amish, or books about other intentional communities such Shane Claiborne’s Irresistible Revolution, I confess to sometimes feeling overwhelmed by the obstacles to creating more close knit community in the suburban setting in which I find myself.

I wonder what on earth this looks like – to create a more intentional community right in my neighborhood – when I feel simultaneously more connected to people outside my neighborhood through church, community organizations, or work AND at the same time so busy within my “four walls” just caring for my own small children and household.

Even as I write this, I find my heart drawn toward wanting to organize a block party or something.  I think that must be my first step.

Yikes life is so rich and complicated!  Relationships with God, spouses, children, neighbors, friends, family, business partners and clients, strangers…  When I try to organize it all in nice little neat compartments in my head, my brain just begins to shut down.  I just pray that God will guide my steps daily and use me to speak love to whomever He puts in my path that day, in whatever contexts.

But this is the big challenge, isn’t it?  Learning how to slow down, simplify, and live more sustainably within the context of a culture that is anything but slow, simple, or sustainable.  The possibilities for the HOW of living out that change are nearly endless, and I can get easily overwhelmed if I try to make all these changes at once, or if I stop trusting Him for the daily process and journey of change.

Ultimately, my journey may look similar yet very different from Nancy’s journey, or anyone else’s journey.  While we can look to others for ideas, or inspiration, or guidance – and I definitely do highly recommend any and all of the Sleeth family’s books – we need to always avoid the temptation to compare or envy.  What matters is that we each ask Him daily what to do with the time He’s given us – and be faithful to walk out our unique roles to play in this unfolding of history.

Gradually over time, as we seek Him first and follow, He will produce that lasting change that ultimately restores all creation.  I am so thankful that I can rest in that knowledge and not give in to the temptation to stress out about every little change I still hope to make.

What about you?  Where do you find your greatest sense of community?  What changes toward more sustainable living do you still want to makes?  What books have you read that inspire you?  Do you struggle with comparing yourself to others who may be on different points along this journey?  How do you remind yourself to rest in the love and plan God has for you?

Internationally Recognized Expert in Toxin-Free and Sustainable Products to Speak Aug. 26^th in Cherry Hill, N.J.  Narelle Chenery, Founder of Miessence, was First to Gain International Certification for Organic Skin Care Products

Narelle Chenery, the “mother” of certified-organic skin care products, will speak Aug. 26 at Trilutions in Cherry Hill.  Chenery, the founder of Miessence Certified Organics, will talk about finding and using chemical-free products and integrating organic sources of nutrition into your diet.  A resident of Australia, her presentation here is part of her North American tour that also takes her to Michigan, Ohio, Vermont, South Carolina and Alberta and Manitoba, Canada.

Chenery has spent more than a decade researching and developing personal care products that are truly organic – including how the ingredients are grown, extracted, processed, preserved, bottled and labeled, all to international organic standards.  In more recent years, she has turned her attention to maximizing the nutritional benefits of organic “superfoods.”

“People are becoming increasingly aware of the potentially hazardous chemicals in so many of the products we use daily.  They want safe and sustainable alternatives but are often frustrated by misleading marketing claims,” says Lacey Swartz of KV Organics, the event sponsor.  “In addition to toxins, people are also concerned about nutrient depletion in our food systems and are seeking ways to return to real-food sources of nutrition.”

Chenery will address the importance of personal care products that are completely free of toxic synthetic chemicals and supplemental sources of organic whole food nutrition.  Her presentation will be geared toward both consumers and holistic health professionals.

Miessence, launched in 2001, is the first extensive range of skin care, body care, hair care, cosmetics, and superfood nutritional products to be certified to international food-grade organic standards.  Following the main presentation, Chenery will host a separate session for those interested in partnering with Miessence in the growing organics industry.

Chenery’s presentation will take place at Trilutions Real Estate Group, 1960 Route 70 East in Cherry Hill, from 2 – 3:30 p.m.  The presentation is free, and light refreshments will be served.  Reservations are recommended.  For more information or to register, call Lacey Swartz at 609-504-1802 or visit http://www.kvorganics.com/event-registration/.

About KV Organics

KV Organics is dedicated to teaching people how to identify toxic ingredients, expose misleading marketing claims, and find the safest and most sustainable options for healthy living and personal care.  For more information, visit www.kvorganics.com.

Of all my ideas for posts that I mentioned last week, since it’s already written, sharing this first affords me more time offline.  Probably going to do the coconut oil post next since the company has been asking me when I’m going to write it (I’m not obligated to, but they did send me free product and it is awesome, so I’m happy to do it…)

Anyways, for now…

Thanks, Fred, for letting me share your newest poem here.  🙂

Barefoot Pilgrim (Genesis 2:7, 3:8)

The rain arrived at night,
A steady, gentle soaking
Filling the garden soil with lifeblood,
Loosening unwelcomed roots,
Preparing a welcome mat for morning’s barefoot pilgrim.

Dirty hands were never so clean,
So holy.
Smeared on flesh, trapped under nails –
Proof of sanctification.
Though roots pierced deeply into garden’s heart,
The weeds disappeared.

Come, Barefoot Pilgrim, walk through your garden.
Dig gentle hands deep into root-ridden soil.
Dig, till the last hairy tendril slips silently out,
Till nothing is left to sap sustenance
From good seed you’ve sown.

Come, Barefoot Pilgrim, tread softly,
Gingerly upon this fertile soil,
Breaking no bruised reed,
Snapping no failing branch,
But binding them up, infusing new life,
Till your garden feeds a hungry world
And its fragrance clears our choking air.

Come quickly, Barefoot Pilgrim!
Come!

It’s been a busy few weeks here.  Kids getting out of school.  Our little ‘trial week’ of ‘homeschooling’ with the girls (we are thinking about ‘homeschooling’/’unschooling’ for next year).  Sending the girls off to spend most of July with ‘Baba and Grandma” for summer camp – they are so excited…  I hope they don’t kill my parents – or vice versa.  Watching my crazy little boys run around the house naked, giggling hysterically as they juggle their boy bits, splash in the kiddie pool, and pee on the grass together.  They are just too funny.  Playing board games with my three (almost four) year old and having him thrash me – and being so grateful to God for how well he’s doing given his rocky start as a newborn with IVH/PVL.   He’s such an amazing joy.  Helping new contacts evaluate labels on ‘natural’ (semi-natural) products.  Helping new team members get up and rolling.  Starting to train for a 5K “Zombie Run” in the fall – and falling off the bandwagon with the heat.  Beginning to make a more tangible shift from our current church body (which we love) to the new church plant body that we’re a part of in our hometown (which we also love).  Preparing for our trip to Ukraine in early August to serve a local church there with English language camps.   Beginning initial plans for a major work event at the end of August.  Trying to figure out where to squeeze in a vacation trip with some dear friends.  Fireworks – both man-made ones, which were impressive, and the most amazing God-made ones which were way more impressive.  Crazy cool lightening show, like I’ve never seen before.

One of the other great joys of this past week has been picking the first fruit from our garden.  A small handful of cherry tomatoes and three big cucumbers.  We first did a garden in 2009 and just did tomatoes.  Then we got overly ambitious in 2010, and it flopped.  Didn’t do a garden last year because it was just too much with the baby.  And this year, I think we have a nice little balance of fairly easy to grow foods that we definitely eat.  A few varieties of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cucumber, zucchini, carrots, onions – and a strawberry patch for next year.

Fred has really been enjoying weeding the garden barefoot and has written an awesome poem inspired by the activity – maybe he’ll let me share it with you on my blog?  I’ll have to ask him.  🙂

So anyways, yeah.  Been delinquent on posting.  Have some ideas kicking around in my head though…

Of course, as I was explaining to someone I met online recently, I am NOT a hard core blogger.  Not aspiring to be one either.  I love to write, but I’m so nit picky about details that I just don’t have the time, energy, or desire to really write lengthy, well researched, and precisely written posts.  I am trying to consciously limit my computer time, not increase it – and use the time I am on it as efficiently as possible.  I love to do the research, think critically about these things for my own family’s choices, talk about this stuff with people, and share what I’m learning, but I confess that I just don’t have time or desire right now to really hard core blog.

My blog is really more of just a place, as I said way back when I started in September of 2010, for me to chronicle some of my thoughts and experiences as a work from home mom on a journey of sustainable living – personally (our own practices at home), professionally (through my work as a consultant and business owner), and spiritually (as it is all rooted, ultimately at the core, in my faith) – and interact with anyone online who might want to chat about these various topics.

So, we’ll see how ‘the Spirit moves’ in the next few weeks and what posts come out first.  I’m open to suggestions if anyone wants to read/discuss one thing more than another.  🙂

Some of my thoughts/ideas include…

A post about creating life, not ‘making a living.’

A review on some amazing coconut oil I recently had the privilege of trying.

A review of a new book by one of my current favorite authors, Nancy Sleeth – I’m about halfway through so far.

A brief explanation of different types of milk and why it really matters which one you choose.

A post on the somewhat misleading ‘no animal testing’ labels on personal care products.

A post on some the ethical questions surrounding product choices with certain ingredients.

A post on sustainable network marketing – how it can be very beneficial for society if (and only IF) done properly (as in, not at all like what you may have experienced in the past with stereotypical network marketing or MLM hype).

A post on ‘failure-proofing’ home business ventures.

My recent adventures into yogurt making.

My stinky water kefir mystery – help wanted!

Our ongoing efforts to purge stuff.

My back and forth thoughts on homeschooling.

My back and forth thoughts on maybe going gluten-free.

And now maybe a post with Fred’s latest poem.  🙂

Too many ideas, not enough time.  Gonna go play with my kids.  Will try to get a post out next week sometime on one of these topics.

Any votes?

Hi gang!  We’re in crunch mode here – the last week of school.  Need to keep it short…

Year end parties.  Junk food.  Sigh…  🙁

Thankful for the Vitality Pack…  Check out this new video Narelle put together and just released today.

After watching the video, leave a comment below, then pop over here to give yourself the appropriate number of entries into my June raffle – just added “Watch this short video: Superfoods” as an entry option.  😉

Hi everyone!  This is a very quick post to announce that the long-awaited, new Miessence website is up and running – and working beautifully.  I placed an order today, and it was so easy to use.

I think most of the minor goofs (little typos, etc.) are worked out, but you never know where one little glitch could have been missed.  Miessence is a family owned and operated company, so they need the help of their extended family (all of us – reps, customers, and general fans) to spot the blips.  (New to Miessence?  Check out the three super quick overview videos here.)

To make this fun and thank you for checking out the new site, I’m running a little (or big, depending on how many people the word spreads to on Facebook) giveaway during the whole month of June.

SCROLL DOWN TO ENTER:  Besides leaving a simple blog comment below telling me what you like most about the new site, there are 7 other ways you can enter – from the super quick and simple – including liking my Facebook page, tweeting about the giveaway, or subscribing to my newsletter – to the bit more involved – including watching videos or hunting down hidden glitches on the new site.

Can’t wait to see who wins!  Make sure to register your entries in the Rafflecopter widget below to be counted.

Don’t forget to share the giveaway with your label-reading, health-conscious, organically-minded friends.  The more ‘likes’ my page gets on Facebook, the higher the value of the giveaway will be.  😉

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you missed it – or are new and weren’t subscribed yet last month – our April edition of MiCommunity had a great article on safe sun protection.  My colleague, Erin Demory, wrote a very thorough review of sunscreen chemicals vs physical sunblock ingredients.  Check it out.

Since summer is fast approaching – and I want to test out this new “Rafflecopter” giveaway tool – this is a quick post to announce my first official online giveaway…  (Disclaimer – it’s my first time using Rafflecopter, so we’ll see how it works!  Either way, someone will win – promise!)

On Monday, 5/14, I will be raffling off one of the safest sunblock products on the market – in fact, it ranked on the EWG safe sunscreen report back when there were only 30 or so products that made the cut.

The Miessence Reflect Outdoor Balm.

I was very impressed with its ingredient list and even more impressed with its efficacy – and we’re super pale and pasty in our family.  😉

See below for your chances to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway