what to sing in a storm

before me, even as behind,

God is ~

and all is well.

- john greenleaf whittier

oh, how this settles deep into an anxious soul, like a salve to the raging heart. a constant, an anchor, a swaddle to flailing arms.

You are good God, eternally good to me. You were good to me yesterday, You are good to me today & You are good to me tomorrow into forever. how could i ever fear?

* i love the title of this photo: "rider of the storm"

optimism is contagious

i love maxwell house commercials. they are just so darn good. i cry almost every time! they beg the question, "is your cup half empty or half full?" so challenging but soul food at the same time. "brew some optimism" is one of the most inspiring ad campaigns i've seen in a long time!

so, how about an optimism break?

a spoon full of sugar...

we have been pretty strict on our kid's sugar intake. we try our very best to eliminate or avoid refined sugars at all costs & stick to more natural substitutes. having said that, while being pregnant especially, i have found it difficult to reduce my own refined sugar intake. that darn starbucks! those cravings are just soooo hard to ignore. so i do give in but have a few safe guards to help me not indulge.

sometimes pictures speak louder than words. these are a great motivator & perspective check. they also help clear up a few misconceptions like juice is like eating a piece of fruit. juice without the fibre a piece of actual fruit is just as bad as pop. as you can see from these pictures, a chocolate chip cookie has less sugar content {personally, i'd take the chocolate chip cookie over the juice but that could be the cravings talking again}. and don't let those added vitamins convince you otherwise.

these pictures are a creative way of showing sugar content.

4.2 gms = 1 teaspoon of sugar {each cube is a teaspoonful}

now they just need to do one with salt!

* thanks jo anne for these helpful reminders!

guacamole cones

this is a cool way to spice up snack time. you can also use salsa as a filling if your kids are not guacamole fans. i used this recipe to get the twins into avocado.

take a 6 inch whole grain or whole wheat tortilla & slice in half. then roll them into a cone & secure with a toothpick. place on parchment paper & brush with olive oil. sprinkle with chili powder & bake at 350 for about 7-8 minutes.

our guacamole recipe is: mashed avocado, 1 small tomato, 1 tsp lime juice, salt & pepper to taste {but my kid's like to keep it simple you can really use whatever recipe you like}

*courtesy of this book

the dirty dozen & the clean fifteen

an updated look at when to choose organic

we love to eat organic whenever possible. although there are many benefits & arguments to eat organic, we chose the organic lifestyle mainly due to pesticide consumption. these harmful chemicals are sprayed directly onto produce not labelled "organic". although rinsing your fruits & veggies is good practice, it cannot remove all of the harmful residue and the chemicals then become ingested. these chemicals are dangerous & cause long-term health issues, many of which are continuing to being discovered. children are particularly susceptible to pesticides simply because their tiny bodies can't handle the toxic load as they grow & develop. exposure to pesticides has shown an increased risk for:

• asthma
• reduced IQ
• learning disabilities
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
• childhood cancers, including leukemia, neuroblastoma, Wilms tumor, soft-tissue sarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and cancers of the brain, colorectum, and tests

this list was more than enough to convince us to invest in the organic lifestyle. however, having said all of this, it's no secret that organic foods are usually quite expensive. i find most of our organic produce from loblaws & then we also are apart of an organic co-op called ottawa oragnics {where we get a bin of organic produce delivered to our house each week}.

but initially, i took it all in baby steps - i didn't go all organic all at once. i gradually replaced different items until we were accustomed, not only to taste & freshness, but also budget wise. in fact, there are still some foods that i buy that are not organic. i try to make sure the bulk of my kid's diet is organic, accepting that there will always be situations were i can't totally control their diet (like eating at a friends house). i chose not to stress about those situations and do what i can to eat organic the rest of the time.

that's were the dirty dozen & the clean fifteen come in handy. i started with the dirty dozen list & decided which foods would be on my absolutely-must-buy-organic list. these are the top 12 foods that are found to be the most pesticide laden. i then gave myself a grace list called the clean fifteen. that is a list of the foods that have the least amount of pesticides. these are the foods that, if necessary, i'll buy non-organic. i recently updated my lists, as they are always being updated, by reading jen's post on peas & crayons (click here for the actual article).

here is a copy of the consolidated list for those interested:

The Dirty Dozen

1. apples

2. celery

3. strawberries

4. peaches

5. spinach

6. nectarines {imported}

7. grapes {imported}

8. sweet bell peppers

9. potatoes

10. blueberries

11. lettuce

12. kale/collard greens

The Clean 15

1. onions

2. sweet corn

3. pineapples

4. avocados

5. asparagus

6. sweet peas

7. mangos

8. eggplant

9. cantaloupe {domestic}

10. kiwi

11. cabbage

12. watermelon

13. sweet potatoes

14. grapefruit

15. mushrooms

* just be warned, once you start eating things like lettuce organically, you will find it hard to go back to any other kind of produce. the taste is so tasty! so fresh! in our weekly organic pail we get lettuce that still has the roots intact, and it is like picking it fresh from your garden... yummmo! never thought i'd ever say that about boring old lettuce!

how He loves us {a song diary}

how he loves us {artist: kim walker, jesus culture}

the first time i heard this song was on the radio while i was driving home for the grocery store. i stopped the car and just balled and balled and balled. it just happens like that sometimes doesn't it? you're going about your day, minding your own business, and then God just breaks in & cuts right to the heart. i love you... through & through He says. without qualm, without hesitation. i love you He says, so many millions of ways throughout the day, but i am deafened to, numbed to by the droning of the day. and then He speaks, so loud, so undeniably. i love you. oh, how i need to hear this, need to soak in it's reality, in it's inevitability. i am His and He is mine. He will love me for longer than i can live. no matter how far i run, how long i hide, how hard i try to deny it or tell Him He shouldn't... He loves me. and that is a dangerous belief. dangerous because it changes everything. everything about me, everything around me, everything within me. it changes my past, my present & my future.

what an incredible account of the love of a Saviour for His saved. oh, how He loves me.

oh, how i love you Jesus.

just listen & behold the love of a father.

{the ponderings}

i have decided to start a new little blog feature in the sidebar. with this wonderful worldwide web, i read so many incredible things in a day. i would love to get to the stage where i could respond to each of them in a blog post, however, there is to much to read/write for one tired mama. and they often say it just so much better. so i thought a little sidebar called the {the ponderings} would be a marvelous way to pass on some great finds that have encouraged, inspired or just nuzzled the old thinking cap. they are too lovely to not share. so check them out if you get the chance. hopefully, i will occasionally be able to respond to one or two in a blog post. but for now, this gives you a little idea of what i'm pondering at the moment. enjoy!