Lotus in the Mudd

Aloha from Maui!   Since moving here two months ago we (a family of four ) have visited many of Maui's local restaurants and I would like to share with you some of my thoughts and opinions.

MY PERSONAL FAVORITE

Brew one gallon of tea:
8 tsp tea leaves to one gallon water.  Steep for about 15 min.
Add 1 1/2 cups sugar and then let cool.
Pour into jar and place SCOBY( symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast)  on top.
Cove jar with cloth that will allow liquid to breathe.( cheese cloth is too porous, it allows fruit flies in)
Let sit for 12 - 16 days. 
Test by dipping a plastic or wood spoon. Do not use anything metal at anytime. The SCOBY will leach the metal.
If the liquid is still sweet then it is not finished brewing.

Jamie Oliver's new show "Food Revolution" has been the most refreshing change to see on television.  I hope all parents that have their children in public school get a chance to tune in to the show.  We homeschool our children so we don't struggle with most of the issues the show talks about but I am very aware of the food epidemic in this country.  With both parents having to work just to make ends meet,  food ends up being whatever is fast and conveinient and that isn't always good for our families.  AND with there being a fast food joint on every corner

     Today marks an epic event in the Dalton family.  We created a new system for behavior modification.  We have for years, been struggleing with temper tantrums.

It all started with a good friend who loved to frequent Starbucks.  At this time I was not into coffee, but every time I went out with her we ended up with a coffee in our hands.  I started with Mochas and was deaply in love with them and then quickly discovered a thickness accumulating around different areas of my body.  Bummer!  Then as a saving grace to my pocketbook and waistline another friend of mine turned me on to just getting an Americano with a squirt of chocolate.  This satisfied my need for the mochas, although now I had aquired a pretty strong addi

Soaked Oats

I cup organic oats

2cups almond or mac nut milk

Soak oats in nut milk overnight.  In morning scoop some into a bowl. I like to top mine with bananas and honey.  My kids like dried cranberries, honey and cinnamon. Sometimes I put a glob of almond butter on top and more nut milk.  Any fresh fruit or dried fruit will go nicely.  You could eat this in different ways almost every day with different toppings and not get bored with it.

     After being on vacation for the last five days I am excited to get back to eating a more Raw Food based diet.  Eating out practically every meal when you are on vacation quickly shows you the importance on home cooked food especially raw quisine.  I have noticed a considerable amount of grogginess, lack of motivation, a general feeling of bloatedness  and lack of bathroom regularity.  When I eat a mainly Raw Food diet I don't have any of these issue.  So, Here's to getting back to a more conscious way of eating for my health and vitality!

      After returning from a trip to Maui I gained some much  needed perspective for living either on the Big Island,HI or Maui.  We currently live on the Big Island with our two young children.  We have experienced some frustrations trying to raise our children here.  The options for schooling for middle and lower class families leaves something to be desired.  There are no shortages of great private schools but that is exclusive to those who can afford it and honestly, I think that is a very small percentage of the population here.

I have learned the greatest lesson lately.  For years I have been struggling with my personal boundaries with people.  Normally other people's expectations and feelings and needs would spill over onto me and I would take them on as something of my own to deal with, always feeling like I needed to do something for them or just felt obligated to them.  I have started saying no to more and more activities and involvements with people and at first I had terrible anxiety that it would upset this or that person and they would take it personally.  That is just another layer to

I recently watched a documentary called America the Beautiful that made me think about how I think about myself physically.  The movie shows how media shapes our personal physical image.  Let me tell you,  it is not a possitive image.  We compare ourselves to the images we see from TV, movies, magazines and music.  Most of the images that we see are altered either by the photographer or by the computer. When we see these images incomparison to our own image we end up feeling less or not beautiful enough.