Written by DIY contributor Katie Clemons of Making This Home.

There is a well-known walkers’ route in my hometown. As the weather gets warmer, dozens and dozens of women flock to these sidewalks. They have sweatshirts tied around their waists, and they exaggerate the movement of each arm swinging into the air. Left arm—whoosh. Right arm—whoosh. As a kid, you spot all your teachers, your dental hygienists, and your friends’ moms walking as the sun slips away.

As a kid, I knew: walking equaled boring, slow exercise. I didn’t know the power it held.

Walking isn’t just an exercise for the body; it’s a retreat for the soul.

Henry David Thoreau wrote, “It requires a direct dispensation from Heaven to become a walker.”

I became a walker in 2008. I wish I had some beautiful story about the epiphany of walking, but I don’t.

I was living in Berlin, Germany. It cost 2,60€ to ride the S-Bahn to my German lessons and back. My husband’s bike lock had just been cut (we had flimsy locks, which were adequate for the German village were we’d lived previously), and I was too afraid to leave my bike unattended at school. So I stubbornly announced, “I’m walking home tomorrow.”

I downloaded an audiobook on my iPod, and I started walking home after class. I’d pick up some groceries on the way home to justify the extended journey. Even the quietest streets of a city are loud. Cars are racing down the cobblestone. Bikers are ringing their little bells. Kids are laughing and shouting. My story was impossible to hear, so I yanked off my earbuds. I started listening to everything else.

Suddenly I found myself stepping through a whole new story. My senses came alive. I started seeing and hearing the story of German people and their culture. They were using the words I’d just learned. They were going in and out of churches and shops that I had never seen when I biked by dozens of times. I could smell fresh basil and croissants. My mind slipped into this euphoria of general happiness free of any frets. And that’s when I began walking to school and back every day. I even had rain pants!

Photo by Katie Clemons

Walking can transfix you.

You can feel comfort like you’ve never known. Step-by-step, your mind can let go of expectations and the millions of ideas running through it. I credit these long daily walks to the growth of my journal and scrapbook shop that I now run in the US (where I take long walks on gravel roads and dirt trails instead).

No one even knows that you are walking down the street in this state of bliss. I feel like walking long distances is a great secret that few people experience as we rush to multitask and cross off items on our lists. Try walking without doing anything else. No cell phone. No iPod. No chatting partner. Just you. In town. On a winding path. Let go of expectations and see where it takes you.

Where will that be?

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• Walking as a retreat for the busy mom
• Home Is What YOU Make It
• Back to basics: Create a home that will last generations

Today on Babble I’m sharing a sneak peek in to our family’s plans next week—but really, I’m talking about why our plans are what they are. From the post:

“Though we’ve traveled a lot as a family since the span of our existence (my oldest is seven), it’s been a long time since we’ve gone on vacation. As in, a trip just for fun. We’re really good at tacking on fun things to do en route to some other sort of trip: a drive through Yellowstone on our way to Aunt Carly’s house; a day at the beach in Greece as we renew our passports to return to our home base.

But we don’t often take trips just…because. Because we need to decompress. And to have some good quality family time. And guess what? We’re feeling it.

Our last “pure” family vacation was November 2009, when we went to Paris, France. Our oldest was 4, our youngest was almost 2, and I was 9 weeks pregnant with our third. It sounds more exotic that it was…. It was the cheapest flight from where we were living.

…As I write this, I’m acutely aware of how blessed we are as a family. We have chosen to route our spending towards travel—we deliberately have only one car and are in the process of remodeling a very modest fixer-upper. We simply prefer to spend our money on experiences.“

Head here to read the rest of the post, and to share your own summer travel plans.

CURRENT SPONSORS:

• Plan to Eat - Meal planning made simple.
• MightyNest - Helping create healthy homes.
• Natural Health at Home - Whole food meal plans.
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• UPrinting - Spread your message.
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• It’s time I take my own advice
• Q&A: What are your summer finale plans?
• Mother’s Day Getaway Giveaway!

You’d have to be living under a rock to not have at least heard the word gluten. A trip to any supermarket reveals labels touting freedom from gluten, dairy, corn, soy, nuts, and eggs. Gluten-free packaged food is a $1.5 billion a year market in America alone! So what’s all the fuss about, and why does it matter?

Eight years ago, I was eating a diet that consisted of lots of “healthy” foods, but felt really tired almost all the time. I went to a naturopathic doctor, and she tested me for food sensitivities that revealed that gluten, dairy, and soy were the culprits of my mystery fatigue, bloating, and 10 pounds that no amount of dieting or exercise had been able to shake.

Within a couple weeks of eliminating these foods, I was the Energizer Bunny incarnate, and within a couple months, I had lost 15 pounds with zero calorie counting or additional exercise. Since then, I have made it my mission in life to help people look to the refrigerator before their medicine cabinet when dealing with their health concerns.

Note: A food intolerance is distinct from a food allergy. A food allergy causes an instant and potentially life-threatening reaction. Less than 1% of the population suffers from true food allergies, while some studies reveal that as much as 95% of the population suffers from an intolerance to at least one food. An intolerance causes the immune system to react to a food as if it were protecting the body from a foreign invader. It’s tricky to link food intolerance to health problems, because the reaction is delayed and the effect is compounded over time. The symptoms are so broad that many holistic health advocates believe that hidden food intolerances are at play in nearly all health problems.

Here’s how to diagnose food intolerances and resources that will help you live healthy, delicious lives without the foods that may be undermining your health right now.

Step 1: Do I have a food intolerance?

Since food intolerances can manifest in so many ways, it’s safe to say that if you are dealing with any chronic illness or even minor health issue (headaches, fatigue, acne, etc), food intolerances could be to blame. The end of this post has a link to a free questionnaire.

Step 2: When in doubt, take these out.

Anytime someone comes to me with almost any concern, I suggest they eliminate gluten for two weeks and tell me how they feel. Most feel a tremendous improvement; for some, a miracle. If they don’t, I send them back to eliminate dairy. This approach alone is hardly scientific, but works for many people. Other common trigger foods are sugar, yeast, soy, eggs, nuts, and corn.

Step 3: Identify specific foods.

Most people won’t do step two for very long without “proof.” I get it. I love grilled cheese, ice cream, and cookies as much as the next person, and I would have been hard-pressed to make this shift in my diet without some concrete evidence. There are several ways to identify your specific food intolerances ranging in cost, time, and effectiveness. Here are a couple that work for most people:

Elimination diet:

You essentially start with a detoxification program, and then reintroduce potential culprit foods one at a time and track your body’s response. If a reintroduced food causes symptoms, then you’re intolerant to that food. This approach is free and can be very effective if done properly, but requires time, attention, and that you follow it exactly.

Food diary:

Record what and when you eat each day, and include any symptoms you experience, as well as the time the symptoms begin. You will likely see a pattern as to which foods are triggering your symptoms. Works really well in conjunction with an elimination diet.

Food intolerance blood testing:

There is no single test that can identify every food to which you have a negative reaction, but there are labs that provide accurate results. Note that this blood test is not the same as a skin prick test that you would receive from an MD, which may be effective at determining allergies but not intolerances.

Step 4: Eliminate problem foods.

It can be a big challenge to eliminate entire food groups, especially when those foods are wheat and dairy, which are central to most people’s diets. Luckily, the landscape for allergen-free foods is much friendlier and more delicious than it was a couple years ago. It also may not be necessary to go the rest of your life completely without these foods, but an extended period of healing is usually in order.

Once you get into the swing of your new diet, the amazing changes in the way you look and feel will certainly outweigh any annoyance, I promise.

The Food Intolerance Resource Center on my website has lots of free stuff to help you make a diagnosis, including a food intolerance questionnaire, food diary template, and several elimination diet options. If you’d like to subscribe to our customized recipe service once you’ve identified your food intolerances, I’m offering Simple Mom readers a 25% discount through the end April. Use the code 25percentoff at checkout.

Have you discovered a food intolerance in your (or your child’s) life? What’s been your solution?

CURRENT SPONSORS:

• Plan to Eat - Meal planning made simple.
• MightyNest - Helping create healthy homes.
• Natural Health at Home - Whole food meal plans.
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• UPrinting - Spread your message.
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• Is your “healthy” diet making you sick, tired, or fat?
• How Noisy Is Your Diet?
• 3 Ways to Naturally Beat the Winter Blues

The other day I was working with a private coaching client and listening to her share about her struggles with junk food cravings.

I was listening to this smart woman share about her struggles and I heard things like, “Oh, I just totally gave in“, “I knew I shouldn’t be eating it,” and “This was so bad but I ate it anyway….and then I just couldn’t stop.”

And though those were her literal words, what I heard was something much deeper. It’s something that so many of us do all the time. We use food as a weapon.

We use food as a numbing agent.  We use food as a coveted illicit pleasure in a game where we test how long we can resist it to prove our strength.  We use food as everything but how it is meant to be used… an enjoyable, health-giving tool.

If you know my work, you know that I’m a huge anti-diet advocate. But many of us who don’t believe we are “dieters” still fall into the same traps by deeming some foods “bad.”  If you peek underneath—these foods are bad because we have made the rule that if we eat them we are bad.

Brene Brown, the brilliant vulnerability and shame researcher who explores how to live wholeheartedly, talks about a crucial difference between shame and guilt. As she says, guilt is “what I did was bad” and shame is “I am bad.”  The difference is subtle, but the impact is hugely different.

Guilt gives us an opportunity to learn from our mistakes, grow, and do better next time.

Guilt self-talk around food might be: “Wow, eating that slice of cake after such a big meal made me feel sick and bloated. That is just not worth it, I’m going to remember next time to take a few deep breaths and really check in with my body before I order dessert.”

Shame destroys our self value and self worth.

Shame self-talk around food goes something like: “I can’t believe I ate that slice of cake. I can never control myself. I deserve to be this overweight, out of shape mother. It makes me sick that I gave in to dessert again.”

And then, all too often, it’s followed by a late-night binge to try and numb the pain of how bad you feel about yourself.

Food is a neutral tool.

Instead of seeing food as a neutral tool to help us live vibrant lives, we give it deeper meanings. And in a diet-crazed society, that deeper meaning is that there are some foods that make you a bad person when you eat them.

Here’s the thing—until we see food as a tool and disengage it from the emotional dark place of shame, we will be kept in a psychological struggle with it our whole lives. Become aware—deeply aware—and curious about how foods make you literally and emotionally feel.

Not whether the food is bad or good. Not whether it is right or wrong to eat it. Instead, every time you eat something ask yourself does this make me feel…

• Light?  Energized?  Clean?
• Strong?  Focused?  Scattered?
• Anxious?  Calm?  Comforted?
• Warm?  Sensual?  Delighted?
• Weighted down? Bloated? Thirsty?

Get curious, not judgmental.

Once you’re used to making connections between the food you eat and how you feel, ask yourself that question before you eat it. “How is this food going to make me feel?”

When we release the restriction and the judgement that food is good or bad, we can also release the deeper judgement that we are good or bad for choosing those foods.

From this place, we can relearn how to use food as the phenomenal tool that it is.

One of my favorite ways to reacquaint myself with life-giving, healthy, vital foods is through periodic, whole-foods cleansing. I know that like anything, cleansing and detox can be used as a weapon—I’ve heard many stories of women starving themselves in the name of detoxifying, and resurfacing hungry, weak, and irritable.

A personalized, whole-foods, vital-living cleanse.

That is not the kind of whole-foods cleanse I’m talking about. What I love to do is lead others through a whole-foods, whole-life cleanse that takes into account your whole person.  The key elements of a healthy foods based cleanse is that you give your body an opportunity to be drenched in foods that are targeted to scrub out, flush through, and nourish your cells and your detoxification organs.

In fact, in preparation for my spring cleansing course, I’m putting together a free video workshop called How to Create Your Personalized Whole-Life Cleansing Plan. If you’re interested in gaining access as soon as it’s ready, head here.

I have seen women find tremendous freedom around food issues by taking a decidedly feminine approach to disengaging the emotional underbelly. Instead of trying to force your way to eating well, release your judgement, turn a loving gaze of grace and kindness toward yourself, and get curious about how food makes your body feel.

Then practice using food as a vitality-giving tool. Make food choices based on what you want to bring into your body versus what you want to keep out.

Do you find you fall into shame talk with food?  How you ever tried simply being curious about how foods make you feel?

CURRENT SPONSORS:

• Plan to Eat - Meal planning made simple.
• MightyNest - Helping create healthy homes.
• Natural Health at Home - Whole food meal plans.
• Clean Mama - Printables that really work for you and make your life easier.
• Again Bags - The reusable snack & sandwich bag.
• UPrinting - Spread your message.
• Oak Meadow - Creative homeschooling since 1975.

© 2008-2012 Simple Living Media, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Simple Mom subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please contact hello@simplemom.net to let us know. Thanks.

• How to find true freedom with food
• Real Food Cleansing Guide: the winners!
• How Noisy Is Your Diet?

So… you’re a new mom now. Amazing, eh? Not only do we rejoice because they are all precious, but it thrills me that you have joined the coven of motherhood. It’s a large one, to be sure—most women eventually do join, I’d imagine—but it’s still no less sacred to pass through those gates into the fields where someone will forever call you Mom. It’s no small thing.

But. Just because it is common, that doesn’t mean it’s easy. No ma’am. It’s most certainly the hardest job I’ve ever had or ever will have, and I’m going to take a stab at guessing and say that it’ll be the same for you. You’ve had a small taste of it, so you’re probably not in total disagreement.

Your wee one is so very wee, so you’ve heard advice out the wazoo from well-meaning women. And you’ve heard this, too—to enjoy it now, because they grow up so fast. It’s really, really true, they do grow up so incredibly fast (my 7-year-old should still fit in my arms, it seems), but I’m not so far away from your stage to look back and see nothing but unicorns and glitter.

In a word… Having a newborn stinks. It’s really hard to “enjoy it now.”

Now, it’s not all horrible, so don’t get me wrong. And yes, it stinks in the literal sense, too (badabing!). But I’d be lying if I said that after the birth of my first, I belonged to that school of women who couldn’t wait to be pregnant again.

I wasn’t. I was so very glad to no longer be pregnant. I couldn’t fathom having a second. I could barely understand why the hospital said it was okay to take my tiny human home; why would I want to do it again? Don’t they know how often I run out of eggs at home? Would they like to see my out of control laundry pile? Why on earth do they think I’d be a good mother?

In short—I didn’t love the early days. In the first few months of my firstborn’s life, I felt like my life was over. I wasn’t happy or joyful. I was sad. Sad to say goodbye to freedom, to living on a whim, to being who I was.

And I felt horribly guilty about that. I loved God and I loved my husband. Shouldn’t I also love my daughter?

I distinctly remember the first time I felt a flutter of love towards her. It wasn’t until she was six months old. I was changing her diaper, and she looked up at me and smiled. Our eyes met—really locked—for the first time that day. And my heart melted. It got better after that.

But before that, to be honest, all I can remember is the constant influx of diapers, saying words I had never before uttered to near strangers (reflux? swaddle? nipples?), and counting poops. And of course, no sleep for months.

I wasn’t in love.

Photo by mrgreen09

Now I know you won’t believe me, but I enjoyed newborn-hood more with subsequent children. By the birth of my third, I actually enjoyed it (though I’ll be honest and say that in my opinion, the older the kids get, the more fun they are). But yes, when my first child was a newborn, I wasn’t glowing with the love of motherhood. I was barely brushing my teeth.

This is common, I hear. “They” don’t say it often, but there are a lot of moms who’ve felt similarly. After reading books and taking classes, you expect to be excited about motherhood. And then when you’re not, it can be a serious let down. Many of us know what that’s like.

The point of this letter is simply to say I’ve been there. Plenty of women have been there. And that if you’re at all like me, it will get better. Lots better. Consider this letter a virtual hug.

A few other things:

• I found out later—way later than I should have—that I had postpartum depression. I was going through slightly more than the baby blues, but I had nothing to compare it to, so I didn’t know. I managed to cope, but not beautifully. Stuff didn’t hit the fan until I was pregnant with number two, more than two years later. Looking back, I wished I had gotten help early. If you feel like you might have postpartum, tell someone.

• Shake off all those blog posts from moms who focus on waking up before the kids. You’ll get there eventually, but right now, SLEEP. Seriously.

• Enjoy date nights while your baby is still immobile. Soon enough, your newborn will be sitting up, then crawling, and then walking. And there’s no going back. I still remember a date night when we went to dinner at 8 p.m., our newborn sweetly sleeping in her carseat next to us at the restaurant. That won’t be possible for long.

• Get some fresh air. Don’t worry about hard-core working out—just go for a walk around the block. Use that baby carrier. Being outside made a world of difference for me.

• Go easy on yourself. Really. A sink full of dishes or an undusted bookshelf does not a bad mother make. Those things can wait… Snuggle with your little one as much as you like (and no, you won’t spoil him).

• Or if you’d rather put him down in his bouncy seat so that you can do something grownup like flip through a magazine, that’s okay, too. You’re still a fantastic mom.

You’re doing amazing. Really. Your body just performed what it was made to do, and yet what it did is nothing less than a miracle. You birthed new life. You’re a superhero.

And yet if you don’t like motherhood so far, that’s okay. You’re in good company. It’ll get better.

Do you enjoy the early days?

CURRENT SPONSORS:

• Plan to Eat - Meal planning made simple.
• MightyNest - Helping create healthy homes.
• Natural Health at Home - Whole food meal plans.
• Clean Mama - Printables that really work for you and make your life easier.
• Again Bags - The reusable snack & sandwich bag.
• UPrinting - Spread your message.
• Oak Meadow - Creative homeschooling since 1975.

© 2008-2012 Simple Living Media, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Simple Mom subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please contact hello@simplemom.net to let us know. Thanks.

• An open letter to first-time mamas of newborns
• 6 Things to do in the Last Weeks of Pregnancy
• Weekend Giveaway: One Year to an Organized Life with Baby

Second only to running out of coffee, nothing puts a damper on my mornings quite as effectively as not being able to find anything appropriate to wear. I don’t know about you, but I’m not usually operating at maximum capacity first thing in the morning. The last thing I need is to go toe-to-toe with a disorganized closet while still bleary-eyed and fuzzy with sleep.

After engaging in far too many gruesome early morning outfit battles, I decided that something needed to change. Bound and determined, I set out to regain control of my wardrobe. If you find yourself in a similar position, these simple steps might just help you to do the same.

Consider your lifestyle.

Ask yourself questions such as:

• What does an average day in my life look like?
• How often do I need to dress in formal wear?
• What additional items do I need to help transition my wardrobe into the colder months?

The key to creating a wardrobe that works for you is to be intentional. Answer the above (and other similar) questions, and create a list of the type and number of outfits and accessories you’d need to flourish. This list will be key in making the hard decisions about which items of clothing get to stay and which need to go.

Simplify your current wardrobe.

Once you’ve put together a list of your basic wardrobe needs, set aside several hours to simplify your wardrobe.

Take everything (yes, everything) out of your closet and lay it across your bed. Designate space in your bedroom for three piles: a Donate pile, a Keep pile and a Try On pile (for all the pieces that you’re not sure about). Sort every single piece of clothing that you own into one of the three piles.

Once you are finished sorting, breathe deeply and turn your attention to the Try On pile. One by one, try on each item of clothing. A trusted friend might come in handy here. Then consider these questions:

• Do I feel comfortable wearing it?
• When was the last time I wore it?
• Does it flatter my unique figure?
• Do I have somewhere to wear it to?
• Do I have something to wear it with?

Be honest with yourself, and be ruthless. A woman doesn’t need a lot of garments to create a lot of great outfits, she just needs the right mix of garments. I know better than anyone how hard it can be to part with certain items of clothing, but if it doesn’t serve you in some easily identifiable way, you’re better off without it.

Photo by Rubbermaid

Create a beautiful closet.

How you create a beautiful closet will depend upon your personal preferences. Be creative! Your closet should reflect you and your individual style. Consider investing in quality hangers, pretty boxes for storing items, and/or scented satchels.

The goal is to create an aesthetically pleasing space. I can’t explain it, but beautifully displayed clothing somehow helps me better enjoy the clothes I have and minimizes the urge to go shopping.

Assess your current wardrobe situation and make adjustments.

Pull out the list you made at the beginning of this process and compare it to the pieces in your newly decluttered closet. Once you’re free of the clothing you no longer wear, you can effectively assess your current wardrobe situation.

If you have too many of one type of clothing, pick a select few of your favorites and then sell or donate the rest. If you find that there are pieces you lack, make a reasonable plan to buy them.

One other thing to remember: every single item you own should be able to be paired with another piece to create a complete outfit. Some people even like to arrange their clothing into outfit groups to further simplify their mornings—this is a great way to confirm that all your pieces have a purpose. If you find stray garments, give them away or find them a mate!

Building a wardrobe that works for you comes with many obvious benefits: It reduces stress, frees up mental energy, results in more peaceful mornings, and creates extra time to spend doing the things you most love.

What’s your favorite item in your wardrobe?

CURRENT SPONSORS:

• Plan to Eat - Meal planning made simple.
• MightyNest - Helping create healthy homes.
• Natural Health at Home - Whole food meal plans.
• Clean Mama - Printables that really work for you and make your life easier.
• Again Bags - The reusable snack & sandwich bag.
• UPrinting - Spread your message.
• Oak Meadow - Creative homeschooling since 1975.

© 2008-2012 Simple Living Media, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Simple Mom subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please contact hello@simplemom.net to let us know. Thanks.

• Creating a wardrobe that works for you
• How Do You Declutter?
• Managing your wardrobe: pregnancy, post-partum and all those sizes in between

A few weeks ago I was walking out of my children’s preschool when I bumped into another mom I’ve known casually over the past two years.

We stopped to say hello and catch up a bit, and the conversation moved into talking about my business. As I was telling her my story, I said, “Honestly, while I do have a passion for wellness, the real reason I began this business when I did was because I needed something of my own.”

See, we had been sharing about the intensity of mothering young ones and being home with them all day. And as soon as I made that comment, tears welled up in her eyes.

She stood there crying in the hallway as a huge wave of emotions overtook her, because she so deeply related to how I had felt a couple years ago. She felt disconnected to parts of herself that she deeply missed.

After a really long hug, we smiled and giggled a bit at how the lives of women can look so different on the outside but are really similar on the inside, and that we rarely talk about it. And also how good it feels when we do.

But the next part of the story is what I most want to share.

After her tears, we chatted about what she used to do before becoming a mother. We even started to brainstorm around how she may start to weave things she used to love doing back into her world.

And then she stopped. She looked me straight in the eye and said, “Really, though, I think I’m just so tired. I wonder how much of this would feel so intense if I could just get a good night’s sleep.”

Bang. In a moment’s time, I was instantly reminded of the wisdom she just tapped. So often we jump right to thinking the solution is in some higher-level change…when all along, we’ve chronically ignored the minimum requirements for thriving.

Our basic, fundamental needs…

Ask yourself these things:

1. Food: How are you feeding yourself?
2. Rest: How are you sleeping?
3. Calm: How are you handling stress?
4. Activity: How are you moving (aka exercising)?

Yes, of course we need love and joy, laughter and fresh air.  We need spiritual connection and mental stimulation and creativity and purpose.  But the truth is, a chronically sleep-deprived mama living off of Diet Coke and cheese doodles is nowhere near as prepared to experience the kind of deep, vital, and vibrant life meant for her. To some degree, we simply must take care of the basics first.

We often breeze past these fundamental needs and go straight to fixing the higher-level needs in our life.  But if we don’t have a proper, sturdy foundation in place, any attempts at flying will fail.

In order to spread our wings, our roots need to be well established.

This time of year, we begin making big visions for our lives and crafting ambitious goals, which are all good and exciting.

But I encourage you, while you’re setting high-level goals for the new year, take time for a foundations assessment.x Inventory how you are doing in the four critical areas mentioned above. They will be the raw materials you need to succeed at wherever your life needs to expand and increase.

Lately I’ve been preparing to lead my signature course, Designed for Wellness, which starts in January 2012. And I’ve been thinking about the process of establishing goals that are truly reflective of where we are and where we want to be this time next year.

It seems to me that many women could use a simple, straightforward way to identify not just their ideal goals, but also the skills they need to meet their goals.

I created a three-part video series to take you through that exact process. If you’d like to gain access to these videos, at no cost, just click here and sign up. The first video will be sent to you immediately.

Each video will take you through a simple, targeted exercise that helps you focus on the specific goals that are right for you, as well as identify the actionable steps for getting there successfully.

I’d love to hear how you are doing in these four foundational areas. Which of the four areas are in most need of attention right now in your life?

CURRENT SPONSORS:

• Plan to Eat - Meal planning made simple.
• MightyNest - Helping create healthy homes.
• Natural Health at Home - Whole food meal plans.
• Clean Mama - Printables that really work for you and make your life easier.
• Again Bags - The reusable snack & sandwich bag.
• UPrinting - Spread your message.
• Oak Meadow - Creative homeschooling since 1975.

© 2008-2012 Simple Living Media, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Simple Mom subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please contact hello@simplemom.net to let us know. Thanks.

• 4 minimum requirements for vibrant living…are you meeting them?
• The Great Sugar Detox: C’mon, You Know You Need It!
• A Holistic Approach to Setting Meaningful New Year’s Goals

In this episode, Lisa and I chat about how to handle the onslaught of heavy, overwhelming holiday food on the horizon; how to exercise in winter weather; tips for avoiding typical cold weather illnesses; and generally, finding time to take care of your health as a mom.

Seriously. This is a great podcast. Chock full of information. I took notes while I was chatting with her, and I don’t usually do that when I record my own podcasts. (I also found out what smell she doesn’t like, and… well, let’s just say it’s a travesty.)

So get out your laundry pile, or just steep your tea and take a break—head here to find the latest episode and all the show notes, or you can head directly to iTunes. (And if you’re so inclined, would you mind leaving a review there if you like the show? It’ll help more people find it.)

Enjoy!

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• Plan to Eat - Meal planning made simple.
• MightyNest - Helping create healthy homes.
• Natural Health at Home - Whole food meal plans.
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© 2008-2012 Simple Living Media, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Simple Mom subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please contact hello@simplemom.net to let us know. Thanks.

• Help for Depleted Moms (the latest on The Simple Mom Podcast!)
• A Recovering Good Girl (the latest on The Simple Mom Podcast)
• A Simple Holiday Season (the latest on The Simple Mom Podcast!)

If you haven’t yet gathered, I travel a LOT. Not always gleefully, but for the most part, I do enjoy it. It helps that over the years, I’ve learned to do it fairly well.

The key is to pack well. Packing too much can burden your trip and cloud your mind, leaving you to deal more with the stuff than with enjoying your experience. It’s pretty hard to pack too little, but it has happened to me before. When that happens, I spend too many brain cells thinking about that one thing I wish I had.

I pack the same when I’m traveling for a week or longer, no matter how long I’m gone or where I’m going. Here are my core essentials.

Tank tops

Simple solid-colored tanks are versatile, lightweight, and pack tightly, so I bring 4-6 of them. I typically wear two at a time and can interchange all of them.

Cardigans

I bring 2-3 cardigans that will match all my tanks and are a variety of weights so that they serve different purposes. Cardigans can instantly dress up a tank top and skirt, and are great for those days where the weather fluctuates.

Jeans

One pair, in a dark rinse. Jewelry can make them dressier, or you can throw on a tank and go. I typically wear my jeans on the plane, so I don’t have to pack them—makes the suitcase even lighter.

Skirts

Simple a-line skirts look good on almost any body type, and are easy to pack as well. I take about 3 cotton skirts, also of various weights.

Lightweight sweater

Whether I’m traveling to the South or the Pacific Northwest, I toss in a thin sweater. You need a sweater in the mornings and evenings year-round in some climates, and in the south, some buildings crank up the A/C in the height of summer.

Short-sleeved tees

I normally grab my tanks, but every now and then I want a t-shirt. I go with 2-3 solid-colored, well-fitting t-shirts that match my skirts. If it’s fall, I may exchange one of these for a long-sleeved tee.

Dressier blouse or tunic

I prefer jersey, so I can wad it up in the suitcase and go without an iron (I almost never iron anymore). This shirt should go with my jeans and be  good for evenings out. Leggings are also good with tunics, if it’s long enough.

Lightweight jacket

Unless it’s the dead of summer in a hot location, I also pack a structured, lightweight jacket. Or if it’s the dead of winter somewhere cold, in which I exchange the jacket for a coat.

Nice flats and sandals

I usually only bring 3 pair of shoes—a pair of comfortable flats, a pair of nicer-looking sandals, and a pair of flip-flops or Chacos. If it’s cold, I exchange the sandals for slip-ons or boots. They can each be worn with all the clothes in my bag, depending on where I’m going. Key: They must be comfortable. Must. And I wear the heaviest pair on the plane, so I don’t have to pack them.

Basic accessories

Overseas, you can usually spot the Americans: their hair is in a wad, they may or may not be wearing pajama pants or a track suit, and they’re wearing running shoes no matter what the outfit. We don’t dress up when we travel, in other words.

Most other cultures do, almost all the time. I’d rather not stand out, and I kinda like to look nice. I keep them simple, small, and durable. My essential accessories are:

• a lightweight scarf (it really does make everything dressier)
• a pair of stud and a pair of dangle earrings
• a few necklaces
• a bracelet
• sunglasses
• a hair accessory, like a headband or clip
• one, durable-yet-not-utilitarian-looking purse/bag

Jammies and undergarments

A simple t-shirt and pajama pants for sleeping and the obvious underwear are about it. I also include bike shorts for under skirts, especially in high humidity environments, if you get my drift. And love my Spanx cami for under tank tops so much that I never leave home without it anymore.

This is my core. In colder environments, I also pack the obvious outer gear, and exchange a tank top and tee for another sweater. In hot climates, I also pack my swimsuit and a summer hat.

Packing lightly can be done when everything coordinates, and when garments are well-made. This is my personal philosophy for clothing all the time, anyway, so honestly, I pretty much pack what I wear daily.

Finally, I toss in some laundry soap (I use soapnuts) and a clothesline, because I’d rather do laundry once or twice than lug around a cumbersome suitcase. I also want to make room for purchases made on the trip.

This is what I’m packing this weekend, and it’ll all fit in a small suitcase. That way, Tate and I can navigate customs and foreign airports without ill-behaved, heavy luggage.

I’d love to hear—what’s your essential clothing when you travel?

CURRENT SPONSORS:

• Plan to Eat - Meal planning made simple.
• MightyNest - Helping create healthy homes.
• Natural Health at Home - Whole food meal plans.
• Clean Mama - Printables that really work for you and make your life easier.
• Again Bags - The reusable snack & sandwich bag.
• UPrinting - Spread your message.
• Oak Meadow - Creative homeschooling since 1975.

© 2008-2012 Simple Living Media, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Simple Mom subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please contact hello@simplemom.net to let us know. Thanks.

• What to wear when you travel
• What to Wear to Blissdom
• 10 Pieces Every Mom Needs In Her Wardrobe

Written by health contributor Lisa Byrne of The Well-Grounded Life.

Most of us have a complicated relationship with refined sugar (the “white stuff”).  Today, I’ll be sharing the first steps you need to consider as you explore the role sugar plays in your life.

(Don’t worry, I won’t leave you hanging. I have a free resource available that I’ll share more about later.)

Most of us have made certain conclusions about sugar that prevent us from truly understanding its role in our lives, and knowing exactly how to disentangle our unhealthy relationship to it.

Before we can talk about any level of sugar detox, we must get one fundamental truth straight:

Consuming refined sugar is not the same as our biological need for a sweet taste.

Eating large amounts of refined sugar is most certainly detrimental to your health, but the desire to satisfy your craving for sweet tastes is not only completely normal, you are hardwired for it.

Biologically, we seek out sweet-tasting things.  This begins at infancy, when we know that breast milk is delightfully sweet. This simple truth turns everything on its head. Your desire for sweet tastes is not “bad” or the result of failing will power.

You can stop beating yourself up and start the process of working with your design to release the stronghold refined sugar has on you.

Here are the three main steps to experience a successful, long-term sugar detox.

Step 1:  Honor your need for sweet tastes and feed yourself healthy, nourishing, naturally sweet-tasting foods.

Let me give you a quick example from one of the women I’ve worked with.

A mom came to me because she was experiencing extreme cravings and late night binging episodes, and felt totally out of control.

We were just beginning to work together, and we started by creating a strong foundation of healthy foods that truly nourished and satisfied her.   I made a suggestion for a quick homemade pizza crust that was made with a touch of honey.

When she heard honey, she was very concerned that she would be eating any kind of sugar at all.    I realized this woman believed that all forms of sweet-tasting things was bad, and she had been trying through sheer willpower to stay away from anything that included any sugar at all, natural or refined.

This mom had been trying hard to keep everything sweet out of her diet, but then was completely binging on candy and junk food late at night when her willpower failed and her stress from the day piled up.

Our natural craving for sweet tastes, and our addiction and over-consumption of refined sugar are two totally different issues.

The more you deny yourself any sweetness in your diet, the more you will crave it — because you are designed for it. When you’re aware of this, you can naturally work sweet tastes into your diet and enjoy them completely.

Step 2:  Discover exactly how you use refined sugar in your life.

Determine your personal sugar blueprint. Beyond your natural need for sweet taste, there are other critical reasons you crave sugar and can become caught in a sugar addiction cycle.

Photo by norwichnuts

Very briefly, I’ll share another example from a mom that was in one of my courses.

At the beginning of the course, this mom would never have said she was addicted to sugar. She was taking the course because she wanted to establish a stronger self-care pattern and routine in her life.

She was a naturally thin woman and never had to worry much about her weight. And I can tell you from my own experience and working with hundreds of other women, most women who aren’t concerned about their weight never imagine that they have an unhealthy relationship with food.

We have been brainwashed by the media and diet industry to focus exclusively on weight as a marker for health.

As she worked through the course, it became clear to her that she had chronically used food as a way to stuff down and numb out deeper emotional needs, in particular the very basic need of just having something of her “own” again in life. She had no outlet for personal growth or creativity — nothing that just made her feel alive.

And that is one of our fundamental needs.

So it was through exploring her patterns with food that she began to listen and observe what was really happening in her life, and it led her to uncover a deeper, starved need.

When she began working on small, simple but significant ways she could come “back to herself” and feel more alive and creative, her addiction to sugary treats all but disappeared.

Step 3:  Restore your body of the depleted nutrients and imbalances from overuse of refined sugar.

Finally, you must bolster your diet with foods that truly satisfy and nourish a healthy life.

There is no doubt that a body chronically fed large amounts of refined sugar is nutrient-depleted and imbalanced. In addition to the inner work of understanding the role of sugar in your life, it is essential to move your diet toward nourishing, healing, and restorative foods — foods that heal your intestinal tract, heal your insulin response, and heal chronic inflammation.

And like I said in the beginning, this post simply scratched the surface of this weighty topic.

If you’d like to go further, I’d love you to have my 19-page workbook, Break the Sugar Habit , which helps you, step-by-step, discover and determine the roles sugar plays in your life. This is one of the free gifts you’ll receive when you sign up to be a part of the WellGrounded email community.

Do you feel like you’re addicted to sugar?

CURRENT SPONSORS:

• Plan to Eat - Meal planning made simple.
• MightyNest - Helping create healthy homes.
• Natural Health at Home - Whole food meal plans.
• Clean Mama - Printables that really work for you and make your life easier.
• Again Bags - The reusable snack & sandwich bag.
• UPrinting - Spread your message.
• Oak Meadow - Creative homeschooling since 1975.

© 2008-2012 Simple Living Media, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Simple Mom subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please contact hello@simplemom.net to let us know. Thanks.

• The Great Sugar Detox: C’mon, You Know You Need It!
• Real Food Cleansing Guide: the winners!
• How Noisy Is Your Diet?