Life lessons that I have learned over the years

About 2 weeks ago, it marked my father-in-law’s 3^rd year anniversary since he entered eternal live. It was a relative short battle for him from the time he knew that he was sick until his passing. My husband went through a very rough/emotional period after his dad passed. Anger, frustration, sadness to just name a few. Although I have been through losing a parent before, I understand that everyone reacts to death differently. My father in law’s passing leaded me to search deeper in life.

I believe in God and attend church regularly. But it seems that I needed a bit more to help me further understand this mysterious thing called life. During the last few years, I came across teachings that helped me to view life in a profound way and Dr. Wayne Dyer played a role in it.

Here are a few things that I have learned over the years. Not in any particular order. This list is a combination of things that I have learned from the Bible, spiritual teachers and life experience.

1. We are all spiritual being having human experience.

So don’t take life too seriously. I don’t mean not being responsible and party your life away. But don’t get uptight on tiny little things that do not matter in grand scheme of things.

2. We all came from the same source, so we are all one. Just cloth in different forms in this moment of incarnation.

Be kind to one and other. We are indeed brothers and sisters, no matter what your believe is. Treated people the way you want to be treated.

3. We are all divine beings.

No matter what you do in life, keep in mind that you are divine. You are not determined by what you do, what you own, your education or what you accomplished. Love yourself for who you are- God is Love.

4. Everything works out the way it is supposed to be.

Don’t get worked out if things do not go as you anticipated. We are a bunch of extras of a much much larger picture in this life. When we make decisions, things will turn into different direction as it intended to be.

5. Follow your own bliss.

If you follow your own excitement, you connect to your true self. When you connected with your true self, you are connected to your source (God).

 

1. Open mind to everything, attached to nothing.

This statement has 2 folded meaning to me. One, do not attached to material stuff. We came to this life without any material things. At the same time, you cannot take any material “stuff” with you when you leave this earth.

Second, do not prejudge any new idea, situation or people. Keep open minded. Don’t get too attached to your own programming or rigid believe and reject everyone else’s.

 

7. It’s the spirit that gives life, the flesh count for nothing.

When you loved ones leave this earth, it’s not light out and the end of it. Their spirit is infinite (and so as yours). They are just in a different room.

 

“If you knew who walks beside you, at all time, on this path that you have chosen, you will never experience fear or doubt again.” – Dr. Wayne Dyer

Peace be with you, my friend.

 

Water kefir

We are in the middle of a heat wave here in Minnesota, one of the most common things that people do during summer is to take cold drink to cool off. We are not big into soda in our household. Even when we do purchase soda occasionally (mostly my husband), we purchase natural soda with no artificial flavor and coloring and made with real sugar (such as Blue Sky soda). Instead, we have water kefir on hand at all times.

About 6 weeks ago, I started to experience water kefir. The main idea is to add more probiotic into my children. Water kefir is easy to make and delicious. I have flavored it several ways so far- with lemon juice, strawberries and lemon, ginger and turmeric, and blackberries and mango. All these options are very tasty. But it turns out the simple lemon juice flavor water kefir becomes a stable in our fridge. My kids love it and ask for it almost every day. When we are running low, they ask when the next batch is ready. It tastes like lemonnade.

I got my water kefir grain here. Simply follow this video to show you how to activate the water kefir grain.


Water kefir is healthy and easy to make. It keeps brewing batch after batch. I highly recommend it.



Summer schedule and meal planning

 

I have been having a pretty busy summer so far. Both kids are in sports on top of their Karate classes. We had either meeting, events or classes Monday through Saturday this past week. Other than the constant driving back and forth, the most concerning part is probably dinner.

I am not a big fan of eating out, mainly because of the quality of food in the majority of restaurants (and my body would tell me shortly after whether I had a quality meal or not). Grass fed beef, pasture raised chicken are not commonly served in restaurants. Besides, eating out is not cheap. I personally would rather to spend money on quality food and cook myself. But working full time and run around between classes and events, I need some preparation ahead of time.

I have been doing meal planning since January of this year. Nothing really fancy, I just use an Excel Spreadsheet and plan out for the week. Ideally you will plan the whole week, but in reality, I usually plan 3 days at a time. Here is a snapshot of my meal planning spreadsheet-

What I do is to go through what I have in the fridge and freezer and then plan some of my family’s favorite dishes. On busy days, I plan something nutritious but yet easy to make – fried rice, curry chicken, brats with potato salad were a few things that I made last week. Try to make things that can prep ahead of time that will save time as well.

Keeping them on a spreadsheet also help me to balance out our meals. For example, have we been eating enough fish lately? When was the last time I made tacos etc.

 

Do you do meal planning? If so, how do you do it? Please feel free to share.

Karate

Children getting ready for their team form

Both my children practice Karate. Although my husband and I did not grow up practicing any martial arts ourselves, we understand the benefits of it.

We started our oldest when he was around 3-1/2 years old. After being in classes for a month or so, we knew he was too young for it at that time. He wasn’t focusing and not completing following along. So we stopped going after a month or so.

We came across another opportunity at different Karate school few years later. We can see a huge difference this time. He is following along, focusing and wants to advance. Since he is doing so well, he motivated his little brother to start Karate few months after him.

Although I know some families have success by starting their kids at younger than 5 years old, I personally don’t recommend it just based on what I experienced with my children.

Finance-

Starting Karate is cheap. Most schools offer 2-4 weeks trial period in our area and cost less than $20.00. They usually include free (or lower price) uniform as well. Be prepared to make some sort of financial commitment after 2 weeks or so if you want to further your training. Majority of Karate schools require long(er) term commitment. They typically want you to commit by number of months or when the student hits certain belt level. Only very few schools will offer month to month program.

 

Owner and teachers-

When selecting whether a school is good fit for you and your children, pay attention to the instructors. How are they interacting with the students? How do the children respond to them? Do they make the class fun or boring?

The head teacher/owner is an important element as well. We had experience one that is just straight about business with low level of caring. While the other one genuinely cares about the kids and interact well with them beyond the classroom. You will have to get the vibe during that trial period before you make any long term decision.

Schedule-

Most Karate schools offer flexible schedule. You can typically go to your belt level class any day of the week when it’s being offered. You don’t have to inform them ahead of time so you can just show up when the time works for you.

Communication -

Make sure to give your email to your Karate school. A well-organized school will let you know what’s happening with classes, teachers and other related events. You will feel more satisfied while you are well informed. Other form of communication is important as well. A well-organized head teacher should schedule meetings with you periodically to see how the student is doing.

Community work-

Does the school take the students to visit others in need? Do they do toys drive or food drive etc.? If you can find a school that does this type of outreach, it will help your children to understand about giving back and helping others as well.

 

I once read a sign it said, “Karate does not build character, it reveals it”. Your children’s behavior will not change overnight. But after a few months, you could see improvement with them, little by little. I have been around quite a few instructors/students who have been practicing Karate for a number of years and you can see their confidence, self-respect and discipline shine through.

If you are considering to start Karate yourself or for your children, I hope you found some useful information on this post.

Feel free to contact me if you have questions.

**Disclaimer- I am not an expert in martial art, I am just sharing my personal experience as a parent on this post.

Probiotics and fermented vegetables

Probiotics are live bacteria and yeast that are beneficial to your body, particular your digestive system. Do you know that about 80% of your immune system is located in your digestive system? That’s why maintaining healthy gut is important for optimal health.

Unfortunately, we don’t get enough probiotic in our modern day diet. Some people would argue that they eat yogurt (store bought, usually) on regular basis. But the problem is that are not enough probiotics in commercial prepared yogurt. In additional, store bought yogurt is typically full of sugar, which could be a complete different subject on its own.

My whole family took probiotic supplement from reputable source in the past. But, honestly, they are not cheap. But I have learned a cheaper way to add more probiotic to our diet.

I was fortunate enough to attend a naturopathic doctor’s seminar a while ago. During his session, he mentioned that couple tablespoon of fermented vegetable is more beneficial than any probiotic supplement. So I went to the health food store right after the talk and got some live culture fermented vegetable, which is a fraction of the cost of probiotic supplement.

When buying fermented vegetable, make sure they did not use any vinegar and heating process for maximum benefits. Using vinegar is not really fermenting and heating will kill the benefical "stuff". Sauerkraut is always a safe choice to start, but there are many different options available nowadays, including beets, carrots, beans and much more.

On a side note, if you struggle with not able to lose weight even with proper exercise and healthy  diet, it’s possible that your gut is not working properly. Adding fermented vegetable may aid your weight loss.

After buying several jars of fermented vegetables, I decided to make my own. My first batch is fermenting as I write. I will keep you posted how it turns out.


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7/19/16 - update
I let my jars in the basement for a week with a plastic bag underneath in case of explosion (since gas will be created during the fermentation process).
I am glad to report that my first batch was a success. :)

My happy place

I believe everyone has a happy place. For me, it’s farmers’ market.

We fortunately have access to multiple beautiful farmers’ market in the area that we live. Fresh produce, raw honey, fresh bakery, grass fed meat, fish, cheese, chocolate etc. I love farmers’ market because I know I am voting with my money by supporting local farmers and other folks who work hard to grow/make food the way it’s supposed to be (no chemical and other sympathetic ingredient).

Not all farmers or vendors have the same practice even if they are in the same farmers’ market. So if we are going to purchase from someone new, we always ask questions.

 

It’s Saturday and I am going to my happy place. J

Berries picking

One of my favorite things to do during summer in Minnesota is go berries picking. Kids love it and it teaches them where real food come from (not in a box from a factory). One of my sons is more into picking than eating. But the other one just won’t stop eating them if we allow him to. J

Berries are high in antioxidant and good for you. However, strawberries, in particular, have been on the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) Dirty Dozen list for a number of years. Dirty Dozen is fresh produce that you should avoid buying conventional. It’s due to the amount of pesticides and other unhealthy residue they found.

When choosing berries farms, I always prefer USDA organic farms. If you are don’t have access to certified organic berry farms in your area, it is always helpful to ask about the farming practice prior to visiting. Being a USDA certified farm is a lengthy and costly process, so some farmers chose not to be certified even though they follow organic practice. If you are in Minnesota, the Minnesota Grown directory is a good place to locate different type of farms.

Few ways on how I use my fresh berries-

• Jam

• Ice cream/ice cream topping

• Smoothie

• Flavor water kefir

Here are what we picked about 3 weeks ago. Close to 30 lbs of strawberries.

 

As strawberries picking winding down, blueberries are starting to ripe. I think that maybe on my next to pick list.

Do you like to go berry picking? If so, what’s your favorite kind of berry and what do you do with it?