Iowa Pumpkin Patch

Have a Vision: Vision Boards and Vision Boxes

Vision Boards and Vision Boxes are becoming very popular! They are similar to Wish Lists, yet significantly deeper. Vision Boards can encompass not only our material desires, but also our deepest and innermost wishes and dreams such as "more peace" or "a magical existence". With The Law of Attraction and "The Secret" so popular, we're learning that our thoughts and dreams really can come true! We just have to really want them.

My daughters and I have vision boards. We made ours out of cut peg board. We glued cork on different areas of the boards (different for each of us), strung wire on the back, and stained little wooden boxes that we later glued on the boards. We use the cork area for the material things and/or short term events we want (ours are evolving with us). The other area we've mod-podged things that make us feel good -- pictures of things, words, etc. that reflect who we are and who we want to be (I've put lots of calm, zen images on my board; my oldest daughter has lots of magical images; my youngest daughter has gemstones and ballet photos). Basically, we put things on our boards that we want to manifest into our lives. My youngest daughter cleverly hooked a cup onto her board that she fills with little homemade clay items.

Some people choose to make Vision Binders or Boxes where they put photos and magazine words/pictures/items into. We prefer our Boards that hang on the wall, so we can look at them throughout the day. The boards definitely lack the portability of a binder though. I've seen a variety of Vision Boards made out of cardboard, foam board, and other materials. The great thing about these is that there is no set way of making them. It is entirely up to you! Christine Kane wrote a really great "How to Make a Vision Board" blog entry for those interested. Some people even make computer wallpaper Vision Boards for their screen's background. This is a very neat concept!

We enjoy our Vision Boards so much that we held a "Vision Board Day" with our Girl Scout Troop (I'm a Girl Scout Leader for both of my daughters' troops). I've been amazed at the wonderful and creative ideas the girls have had! This also gave us a chance to share our collection of catalogs and magazines. Some of the girls put only words all over their boards, others chose only pictures. One thing is for certain: our boards have to evolve since we keep getting everything we hope and dream for! It is amazing how these things keep appearing in our lives.

With the Holiday Season just around the corner, I'm excited to see the items that are popping up on my daughters' Vision Boards. I know what they'll love to receive and I don't have to ask them.

Don't forget to periodically take photos of your Vision Boards. It is fun to look back over time and see how your dreams have come true!

Travel Light and Carry a Camera

Traveling with two children has made me realize that traveling LIGHT is much much better than traveling with everything imaginable. You never know when children just can't take another step and you'll need to carry them. Having your hands empty and ready to carry whatever comes your way is very handy. I like to keep one hand empty at all times so that it can be carrying my camera or water bottle.

Three years ago, my family of four (the kids were 8 and 4 at the time) traveled around Europe for a month. We carried one large (carry on size) backpack, one small backpack, and one super tiny kid sized backpack. We also had a fold out nylon backpack (folded into a teeny tiny thing about the size of a roll of film) that we used for grocery shopping. We were able to travel very comfortably and we actually did not use everything that we took. That taught me that we could travel even lighter with even greater comfort. The lighter we traveled, the less burdened we were (physically and mentally). Our arms (and backs) became unencumbered. We were able to spend our time and strengths on our surroundings and each other rather than having to worry about keeping track of our stuff. We kept the essentials on us at all times, and kept the rest ready and packed to travel at a moment's notice. The kids became entertained with the smallest and oddest items. We enjoyed going into European toy stores and finding small toys to purchase. Don't forget that you can always mail things home to yourself if you find a treasure that cannot be parted with.

Websites that I've found really helpful in learning how to pack light:
Rick Steves -- This site has a lot of great resources regarding traveling around Europe with minimal luggage.
One Bag -- "The Art and Science of Travelling Light"
Smart Packing for Today's Traveler -- Good information and fun to read through the site, but we pack significantly lighter than she recommends.

The added bonus is the environmental one: The lighter you pack, the less fuel you use. In a land vehicle, every extra 100 pounds you take out of your vehicle can reduce your fuel consumption by up to 2 percent.

Don't forget to take lots of photographs! Those are the best souvenirs of all!

"Where Should I Live?" Find Your Best Spot

I've been asked this question several times now, so here is my answer.

I believe that everyone should live in the place where they thrive the most. This physical place will absolutely not be the same for everyone, nor do we want it to be! That would just cause horrible overcrowding issues. However, if your surroundings are causing you pain (physical, mental, or emotional), then it is time for change. Maybe you only need a small rearranging of your living room. Maybe you need to move to the other side of the planet.

Yes, I am enamored with where I live. My family and I have determined that where we live is the only place on Earth where we want to be. We look out our windows and feel ultimate contentment. We strive every single day to keep our level of contentment the same or better. It has taken a lot of time and questioning for us to get where we are and we still don't have our dream home, but we are working on that aspect also.

Do not be afraid of change. Your own personal "best place" might change over time. This does not mean that you were wrong before; it means that your needs have changed as you and your lifestyle change. Your "best place" might be a combination of places (e.g. Alaska in the summer and Florida in the winter). Perhaps you thrive best as a traveler. I'm always amazed at the people that love that lifestyle. It must be exciting. I, however, need roots to feel content. There is no correct answer on where your "best place" is. However, it is a huge mistake to not listen to yourself when you know that you are in a bad place.

If you aren't 100% happy with where you live, try spending as much time as possible checking out alternate locations.

Ask yourself these questions (and more!):

• Why do I live where I live?


• What brought me to this location?


• Do my surroundings give me pleasure and happiness?


• Does the weather where I live make me happy or bring me down?


• Do I need a lot of sunlight, or is snow skiing what gives my life passion?


• Do I spend more time dreaming of faraway places than I spend enjoying my present surroundings?


• Am I happy with where I am? (You might find that you are, even if at first you don't think you are! Maybe there is no better place for you than your current town.)


• Do I want to live off-grid or on-grid or with a grid-tie system?


• Do I need a large area for gardening? Small area for gardening? Or, does gardening not matter to me at all?


• Do I hate lawn care? What about shoveling snow?

Do you feel trapped in your town, in your life and want to move, but you don't know where to go or even how to determine where to go? If you don't have the time or the funds for traveling around the world, try checking out the following sites. I've found their questions worth thinking about in helping my family determine where our own personal "best spot" is.

Find Your Spot
Sperling's Best Places

Once you have determined the location of your "best spot", put up photos around your home to help you bring it into your life. Don't have photos? Check out that area's tourist sites. Order free newcomer packets. Check out real estate companies in that area. Print photos of what you want your life to look like. We've found that vision boards work nicely for helping us manifest our desires into our lives.

Above all, make the best of where you are. Live as if your dreams have already come true. After all, you are where you are today. Work on getting to your dream location while enjoying the best that your current location has to offer. Where you are right now is someone's dream location. Enjoy this day!

Comfortable Vegan Shoes

Hands down, our favorite shoes are Crocs.

I used to be a big fan of Birkenstocks with the Birko-Flor, but they are no longer made and are difficult to find. No matter, since as comfort goes, Crocs are superior in every way. Wearing them feels like you are walking on marshmallows. These are the only shoes my daughters own. My youngest especially likes the new Croclings. There are new designs coming out all the time; be careful not to purchase the ones with leather or suede! It certainly doesn't hurt that Crocs are airport friendly, also. In fact, you just might find a Crocs store at your local airport. They make the perfect traveling shoe.

You can even personalize your Crocs with Jibbitz.

If you are looking for fancy vegan shoes, casual vegan shoes, or vegan athletic shoes, check out these sites (I've purchased shoes from each of these places):
Moo Shoes
Vegan Essentials
Vegetarian Shoes
Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe

These companies (and many more) carry great vegan "pleather" jackets, purses and belts, as well as shoes. Vegan leathers usually cost significantly less than animal derived leathers. They also stand up to wear better, last longer, breathe better, and are more comfortable. There really is no good reason to purchase animal skins.

It's great to know that big named brands such as Nike are making vegan shoes now, too. PETA makes a great "Quick Reference: Guide to Compassionate Clothing". Check it out next time you are in the market for new clothing, shoes and accessories.

Catalogs I LOVE

I'm not a fan of receiving too many catalogs and other mail that I don't want. However, I am a huge fan of receiving catalogs in the mail that I'm going to keep around a while and reference. Be sure to check out online catalogs before you have a paper one sent to you. If you prefer to look and purchase online only, be sure to drop them an e-mail saying you don't want catalogs sent to you.

Here are catalogs that I love. They inspire me and my children. We keep them for weeks, or months, or years. We cut them up and make collages with them (then ATCs out of those), we dream about the photos, they broaden our worlds. They often intrigue us and help us have a more Zen-like life, all at the same time. And, sometimes, of course, we actually buy things out of them. :) We keep our wished for items on our vision boards for all the world to see and miraculously, we usually have our wishes come true.

Kid Stuff:
Chinaberry (books, toys, audio books)
Oriental Trading Company (they have several different catalogs)
MindWare (fun "thinking" toys)
Lego Magazine and Catalog
HearthSong (miscellaneous fun toys, lots of wood items)
Spilsbury (puzzles, etc.)
C.W.D. Kids (clothing for little kids)
Magic Cabin (similar to Hearthsong, but more Waldorf -- beautiful illustrations!)
Educational Innovations (science things, their catalog is MUCH better than their online store)
Steve Spangler Science (science fun)
Hammacher Schlemmer (fun dream toys)
Discover Channel Store (great toy and DVD source)

Household Stuff:
IKEA (everything you need to furnish an entire house)
Solutions Catalog (all kinds of interesting things)

Zen Stuff that has all kinds of things:
Isabella Catalog (the "grown-up" Chinaberry Catalog)
Signals
The Wireless Catalog
Gaiam (they have several different catalogs)
Lush (nice massage bars and bath bombs)
Dharma Trading (dyes and blanks for dyeing things -- I always keep a catalog on-hand)
Acacia (some of the neatest things I've seen for a while)

For Travel and outdoor:
Sahalie (clothing, traveling, and outdoor supplies)
TravelSmith (clothing and supplies for traveling)
Magellans

Online only:
Geeks.com (discounted fun electronics)
ThinkGeek.com (fun geeky things)
amazon.com (just about everything these days)
Kodak Gallery
Vegan Essentials
Rick Steves (excellent source for traveling supplies, best source for information about traveling in Europe)

Enjoy!

Pretend You're on Vacation

As an Unschooling family, one of the greatest pleasures we get is from pretending we are tourists in our own area. A few times a month, we pack a lunch or supper (and the camera) and get in our pretend rental car (otherwise known as our car) and head off on a new and exciting adventure for a few hours.

Eight years ago, right before a cross-country move, we discovered that there were at least a dozen places in our area that we'd always wanted to go and see, but had never found the time to go to. With the looming moving date, we were forced to go and see those places right away or never see them (to this day I'm disappointed that I never went on the gummy bear factory tour). While we did go see most of those local tourist attractions, we vowed to never miss out on happenings and places in our new locale.

Mostly, we've held to this. However, over the past eight year period we: had another baby, moved five times, and spent our time learning a gob of stuff. Basically, life started getting in the way again. Our early outings aren't remembered by either of our children, so we've decided to start being guests in our own area again. After a summer vacation, we grabbed local magazines and brochures from the airport. We've been scouring them, slowly doing all the things we haven't done before and all the things we've been wanting to do again.

Have you been bored with your area lately? Check out businesses that give tours (I've been very surprised at how many places that normally don't give tours are more than willing to let interested people have a private tour). Check the national forests in your area. Still can't find anything interesting? Pop into a local hotel and pick up all the brochures (hand them out to your friends after you are done with them). Broaden your idea of "local" to anything within a day's drive there and back. Day trips are wonderful for making you feel like you really did get away from the daily grind. Put a list of all the places you want to go on your refrigerator or vision board. Don't feel like you have to do them all in one day; try one a month.

Just don't forget to take your camera!

Support Local Artists

Next time you are on the market for a new painting, sculpture, or other artistic gift, check out your local artists. I keep being pleasantly surprised at the wonderful artwork that is created in and around my community. Some of my recent finds include:

• Diana Madaras -- canvases, prints, calendars, art tiles, and more (I was introduced to her work when it was auctioned off at a PCRM dinner at Tucson's vegan restaurant, Lovin' Spoonfuls, last year). We just met this artist at her signing last night; she is just as lovely in person as we imagined her to be. My oldest daughter is a huge fan! Be sure to check out her display at the Tucson airport, if you are flying through.
  

• Desert Art Works -- mobiles, windchimes, metal sculptures

My favorite artist from Iowa (where I am originally from) is:

• Isabel Bloom -- sculptures

Go check out your local galleries and galleries you find while you travel. Some amazing artwork can be found at very decent prices. I sometimes even find sculpture and furniture artists showing their wares on street corners. These people are incredibly talented! My daughters and I have fun looking at artwork wherever we go.

As a speculative fiction writer myself (another type of artist), I have found meeting with local writers to be very interesting and inspiring. I am a member of the Tucson Romance Writer's of America chapter. Their monthly meetings are always fun and educational and I have thoroughly enjoyed working my way through reading (a small portion) of the published author's writings. Check your local bookstores in the local authors section. You just might find a new favorite.

Then, of course, don't forget that you can make your own artwork! The majority of art around our house is handcrafted by my children and myself. We highly enjoy these pieces because they are beautiful and hold sentimental value. Be sure to check out local and online communities of artist's trading cards. This is a really fun way to have your own versions of other's art.

Land of Enchantment

New Mexico is called the Land of Enchantment for a very good reason. This huge state has desert, high mountains, lava fields, white sands, and much more. Our goal on this latest adventure was to explore space and the white sand dunes.

First, we went sledding in White Sands, using regular domed sleds. My daughter is certain that they call them "flying saucer domes" due to Roswell being such a short distance away. Perhaps the aliens needed to land in saucers so that they, too, could sled on the dunes? While the temperature was high, the sand was cool. It felt luxurious to walk in the sand barefoot.

Click to play | Make your own Smilebox

Next we visited the New Mexico Museum of Space History and IMAX theater. This little treat was perfect for us in our current explorations of space. We spent the entire day going between the two buildings, enjoying the exhibits and the shows. We capped off the day with a Halloween costume purchase for my little daughter. She is going as a NASA astronaut.

The next day, we made our way to Sunspot, NM, where the National Sun Observatory and the Apache Point Observatory are located. Sunspot is another hidden gem. We had the road to ourselves and the surroundings couldn't have been more beautiful. We were told that the view was of an area larger than the state of Connecticut! It did seem like we could see forever.

Then, of course, our trip wasn't complete without going back to the dunes on our way out of the area. We took the time right before our drive to sit in a zen-like state and listen to the silence. It was very refreshing.

Keep Family Up-to-date with Photos

In order to keep our family and friends up-to-date on our lives, we like to send them photographs. We enjoy sending digital photos to Ceiva digital frames. We first gave frames to family over seven years ago. The frames have held up well and for the most part, we've been extremely happy with Ceiva and their customer support. The original frame requires a phone line, but their new frame does not. My parents currently have one of each. The frames are simple and straight-forward for the end user. The downloading is automatic, unless you force it to download immediately (always an option). These do require a subscription, but we've found the price to be well worth the ease of use and the enjoyment of the recipient.

For prints, I prefer using Kodak Gallery (previously ofoto.com). Their prints have held up well and we've been especially happy with the quality of their photo books. I like the ease of ordering online and I've had no problems with delivery or incorrect orders, unlike other places.

I purchase photo supplies, specialty camera items, and backdrops, etc. from Adorama.

For simple photo editing, I use PhotoDeluxe. I use PhotoShop for more extensive editing.

For fun e-card type photograph mailings, I prefer Smilebox.

Eating Vegan While Traveling

My daughters and I are currently on a road trip, checking out famous (and not so famous) space exhibits and sites in New Mexico (more on this later). We knew from the get-go that eating a healthy vegan diet whilst traveling was probably going to be challenging. It is, but we've got some suggestions on how to make it easier:

1. Take as much food with you as you can manage. Many things don't have to be refrigerated, such as pb&j, Clif bars, pretzels, and misc. snack items. Things that do have to be refrigerated can often be carried for a few hours and eaten as your first trip meal.
   
2. Check happycow.net for restaurants and health food stores at your destination (and on the way to your destination). This site is an excellent resource for finding vegetarian and vegan friendly stores and eateries. Be sure to write reviews of the places you check out. I always read reviews of places I am considering going to.
   
3. If you see a health food store, go into it, even if you aren't hungry. We found our supper today by stumbling upon a health food store. While most of the items were very much not vegan, we were able to find healthy choices.
4. Don't let yourself get dehydrated! Buy bottled water if you need to, it is worth it.
5. Don't let yourself get to the point that you are so hungry you are willing to eat anything you find. Seek out food well before you are starving.
6. Find meals at grocery stores and eat at parks. You don't have to eat all your meals at restaurants and fast food joints. We've found some fun fruit and dry cereal for breakfast. If you know that fast food places are going to be your only choice, figure out what you are going to order before you go in. Many meals can be veganized if you ask the right questions and make your needs made clear (politely, of course).
   
7. Don't hesitate to eat the "wrong meals" at the "wrong times". If you have access to delicious and nutritious vegan burritos, eat them even if it is breakfast time. Ditto on cereal for supper. My daughter highly recommends spaghetti for breakfast and peaches for lunch. I'm not actually a big cereal fan, but it does make for easy and quick trip food.
8. Have fun and try new things! You just might find new favorites.