Mambo Sprouts...Another Eco-Mama 101 Lesson!!!

I don't know about how you ladies are doing during this economic down turn...But I do know that it can sure burst your small carbon foot print, "green", organic, earthy Mama bubble...And easily at that! We are just trying to do all we can to stay green and sustain our healthly organic appetites...and I have come real close to stoking up on some Hamburger Helper and Ramen Noodles...Okay I'm not quite that desperate yet, but I have altered my grocery list a bit and my technique too! I just thought I would share a few things with you that I think are really awesome...

I love Whole Foods...and it's a lustful and life long kind of love! I love everything about it...The experience of shopping there full of pride about all the additive free and nutritiously rich, from the earth foods for my family...The feeling of doing my part when i check out with my reusable green bags (with out having to tell the checkout lady be to not put my items in a plastic bag before putting them into my reusable bags...That seriously happened to me once at another store, and it wasn't that long ago either)... So needless to say my heart has been a little broken as our budget as gotten tighter and I have had to enjoy my grocery shopping a little less and to find ways to save a little more...all while trying to not sacrifice are more green lifestyle!!!

And so here is what I did...I went to three different groceries and I compared all of my organic items and what they cost...I was shocked to find out that most of my items, same brand even, cost less at Kroger than they do at Whole Foods..Yep you heard it ladies...cheaper organics at Kroger...There isn't as big of a variety, but the basics are there and cost us less. So now I go to Whole Foods once a month or so and stock up and indulge in the few things that I miss on a regular basis, and the rest of the time I take so much pride in how great we can eat now at regular old Kroger!..

The icing on the cake is that I discovered that you can apply online for the coupon book that they carry at Whole Foods...and Kroger has lots of those items too...It comes directly to my mailbox and get this...it is even in the form of a little book, so no cutting needed!!!

Here's the link so you can get it in your mailbox too, oh and there are printable coupons as well...Happy Organic shopping!!!

http://www.mambosprouts.com/

Mother Loaded!!!

P.S. My new favorite organic find is this "no stir"peanut butter...Look for the one that says "no stir" on the bottle...It is awesome and never needs a stir before it's ready to be spread!!!

JeJu: Home of Well Being!!!!!!!! Part Two

If you didn't realize that this post is titled as part two and you stumbled upon it with out reading it's partner (that likes to go first), then please check out part one of JeJu here...or read on with out it if you must...


You see I am a free spirit and all and most of my closest friends (family really) are free spirited and cultured beings as well!!! So it was no shocker to have been exposed to Jeju from my friend Gurudarshan or that it would be all traditional and full of nakedness, but still I was a little funny about it! I guess maybe I have a pinch of modesty...not in all circumstances but in semi public places Yes yes I do...


Despite that small challenge...actually partially because of it...My first Korean Spa experience was awesome!!! It wasn't all nakedness, just a bit...and even though I felt like an insecure rebelling teenager for a second as I undressed in the locker room and saw the hand sized towels that they provide for you to use...As I knew it would, it felt good to challenge my inhibitions and to let go of any and all of my womanly insecurities and to be proud as I walked this naked ass through the locker room and into the hot tub...It was liberating and just added to the experience!!!


It was relaxing and oh so fun too!!! After checking out the hot tub and refusing to stick more than a toe in the cold plunge tub...we checked out the hottest sauna I have ever been in in my life (seriously the salt or something else in that herb mix was so intense in there that my nostrils were almost burning)...we then dressed in our provided pink t shirts and long shorts to venture into the common area of the spa...


It was incredible...there were around 7 different saunas to experience and each one was filled with different properties to surround you with and to provide different benefits ...Three of them were these huge free standing beautiful domes in the center of the common room and they were probably my favorite...One was entirely built and covered with natural salt bricks, said to strengthen your cardiovascular system, increase blood circulation, flush out impurities, and release dead skin cells...The next surrounded with semi precious stones and crystals had a huge(and I mean gynormous) star made of amethest on the ceiling...It was so beautiful in there without a single spot that wasn't covered in crystals...and the other dome was all silver and gold, known to have a positive effect on nerve stability!!! I mean how cool is that!!!


Then aside from the domes are a few other saunas on the side...one filled with Korean baked clay to bring relief to your tight muscles(if you have those) and to flush out impurities for refreshed skin...One with toxin absorbing charcoal and another with jade to increase metabolism, improve circulation, and relieve arthritis pain!!! Oh, and the rock ice room to cool you down too!!!


Now some of you may not choose to believe in the healing properties of these natural elements...But lets face it people wether you wanna believe in it or not, it's cool to think about and just as relaxing to experience....I don't know how much these properties played into my overall state of bliss when I left but personally I don't care...

The combination of all these, along with much needed time for my self...a day spent with cultured women...and the traditional public korean bath that I took on a stool and along side others...WORKED...I felt great when I left...relaxed, replenished, and rejuvinated!!!
So, I will certainly go back again and I might even let one of those korean ladies give me a body scrub or a "hip bath" next time too!!!

What's a "hip bath" you say??? Oh yes ladies you can have your hooohaaa treated there too...while you sit on a seatless stool and traditional korean herbs are steamed up your lady junk!!!!!! Said to help balance yeast and all sorts of other stuff that I can't remember...I am determined to do a little more research on this particular tradition, so I'll keep you posted on what I find out...And on second thought what other kinds of spas do we have in the Atlanta area?..Cause I wanna know!!!!!!!!

Sincerely,
A more cultured and relaxed ML

JeJu: Home of Well Being??????????? Part One

It's a New Year and so there for...as many of you have probably been doing as well...I have been making lots of new goals and adding lots of new things to my to do list!!! It has almost been a constant state of mind this week! My method is to use this time of year as an over all time for reflection of my self...I make some short term goals that I hold important, but I also broaden the spectrum a bit...I figure the wider the path the easier it is to stay on the straight and narrow...If I have a handful of resolutions then I am bound to succeed at atleast one of them...or so I hope!!!

This year I have been reflecting and resolving on a lot of typical ones like to drink tons more water...exercize more and eat better...to take more time to do things for my self...to be a better morning person...and a better mom!!! And then there is my goal to be less moody and more forgiving with DH...and to be a more generous lover (including touching the man parts a little more often)...I have of coarse not clued DH in on these last few and probably won't as too not set any one up for dissapointment!!! Who needs extra pressure, Right?!!

And the list continues with blogging more consistantly...creating more opportunities to spend date time with DH (even if it's at home)...Doing more fun and creative things as a family...adding more culture to our lives!!!...To send my letter to Oprah and Nate for my dream home makeover...to spend more time with women ( I am in need of a few ladies nights)...and not to be forgotten either is to make room for spontaneity in my life and to challenge my self each and every day...there will probably be a few more added to the list before this day is over and as the year continues...

See what I mean...If all of these are officially declared as my resolutions for 2009 then even if I were to only attept some of them I would have made a great effort...Not that this is my way of thinking and that I am trying to get around good ole fashion worK!!! I am ready for the work and am committed to following through with a good chunk of this, but I am not giving my self a limited opportunity for success and I am having a realistic, already overloaded mother's mentality about it all!!! I recommend that you do the same too...it really works!

So I was happy to be well on my way in only one day when an opportunity arose on Wednesday night, spontaniously (I might add)...I was hanging out with my friend insomnia (oh look that's another one right now already...to break up with my other lover insomnia)...When I got a hello on google chat from my cool and enlightened friend Gurudarshan...She's in town still from the holidays and I had just had my prior plans for the next day canceled and so I asked if she wanted to make that trip to the korean spa that she had told me about once!!! she called our other friend whom she had previously made plans with and there you go...

I was off the like an early bird the next morning, very spontaniously, to spend time with some important ladies in my life...to experience a little culture...to do some thing for my self for a change...and I challenged my self a little too!!! I am Wellllll on my way!!!

TO BE CONTINUED...................

Lessons from a wanna be Eco-Mamma (aka:hippie at heart)

First let me just clarify...We are not vegetarians, I am not a judge mental "granola girl" and I have never sustained from shaving my legs to make a statement, or given up leather shoes, but if I were to categorise my self to a certain high school social group...I would like to think that I would meet the standards of the earthy, bohemian type!

I am trying to teach my boys some of the staples of being Eco friendly and health conscious!..It is of huge importance to me that they too grow to be highly connected and grateful for this earth (I swear that I am not hugging a tree right this minute!!) In an age and era where the biggest craze is to have the most Hanna Montana and High school Musical Loot this is sometimes a very hard balance...Obviously I don't want them to be outsiders or freaks, but I don't want them to lose there independent selves to the desires of main stream either...

We can't afford to eat all organic and my boys watch what I think is plenty of TV(not anything that's not animated or that's about high school kids yet, but I'm not judging against those of you that have children who can sing every word and verse of the sound tracks)...To each his own...I am a firm believer in different styles of parenting and most of the time, except in extreme circumstances, I appreciate where other types of mothers are coming from.  After all, our kids are products of our selves and it would be kind of sickening if we were all in agreement all the time!!  What would any of us have to blog about then?

Now that I clarified all that...I'll get to the original point of this blog...Earthy Mama 101...In an effort to spread the knowledge and wealth of what it means to be in this category, I thought that I might spread the love every once in a while...We don't always have to be "balls to the wall," so to speak, to appreciate what this means!  We can all find the balance of being more Eco friendly...actually it is becoming more and more mainstream everyday...Our kids in public school now have soy milk along with veggie burgers and fake chicken patties as a lunch choice every day...I have  explained to my boys a few times already that this is the most bang for our buck...more nutrition and organic for the same price as their other lunch choices!!! If you haven't ever tried one they are really good!  If not better than the real deal, in my personal opinion!!!

So let this be the first lesson in being Eco Chic... 

QUINOA [keen-wah], a tall crop plant in the goosefoot family cultivated in Peru and Chile for it's small, ivory-colored seed, which is used as a food staple.

This grain is considered a "whole food" one of the healthiest foods out there!..It is packed with protein and other nutrients...very versatile and an easy substitute for other grains, such as rice and couscous!!!  We don't have it with every meal, although we know a lot of people that do...but even every once in a while it can add a ton of nutrition to your usual dinner...It keeps better after cooked than other grains, so I like to make a lot and keep it in the fridge as a quick side dish or addition to a wrap for lunch!!! check it out...I know you'll see how simple and beneficial it truly is to be a health nut!!! 

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=142