Becoming a Grandmother!

In less than three months, I will be a grandmother! My eldest daughter is having a baby in the winter and we are all very excited. Becoming a grandparent is certainly different than becoming a mother. I was excited to become a mother but also hesitant that I would do a good job. Now as an experienced mother, I feel like I will be a great grandmother. I can't wait to hold the little one. I have been busy knitting and sewing and buying secondhand baby clothes to send to my daughter.

The only drawback is that my daughter is on the other side of Canada. It would be easier if they were here or at least closer, but for now they need to be where the jobs are. A summer visit is in the future plans. But I know that this baby will be very loved with grandparents, great grandparents and aunts to spoil him or her! And the good part is you can give them back when they are fussy! I know that I will have lots of love for this new member of our family. It should be a great experience!

Back to School

School has started and soon we will be busy with homework and activities. It is hard to get used to when it still feels like summer. We are eating veggies from our garden and heading to the cottage for the weekend so it is still summer to me. I wish this would last for a while yet. It is stressful to go back to the routine so abruptly. I will hold on as long as the sun still shines. It is time to make relish and bring in the squash as well. I love this time of year, warm but not as humid as August and not as many bugs!! Viva la septembre!

Dog Days of Summer

We have been spending lots of time at the cottage as the mercury has soared over 30 degrees Celsius in the last week!! I like warm weather but it is too hot to do anything but swim and relax. We have been eating local corn and our beans, peas and carrots in hodge podge. Yum! It is a marvelous thing to go to your own backyard and bringing back vegetables for supper. Everything is getting a bit dry in this hot weather though. The cucumbers are huge and very prolific. I have made one batch of pickles, given them away, made sandwiches and salads and they still keep growing!! Since we have had bad weather for most of the summer, I guess we should just enjoy the heat!! This is the time I wish I had air conditioning!! I will be cooling off in front of the fan with a good book!!

New Projects

I have recently started something that I haven't done in years. Knitting. I started a project years ago and finished it last week. It is a surprise for my daughter's baby that will arrive in the winter. I have two more parts to finish and then it is off to sewing. I am also teaching my youngest child to knit at the same time. We are all making gifts for the baby who will be born all the way across the country.I look forward to being a grandmother but I wish they were closer. Knitting is like any other challenge, tricky at first but it is all coming back to me. It is relaxing and can be done while reading or watching TV. I am also working on some cross-stitching, future Christmas gifts.

I have also decided to learn some new recipes so I ordering cookbooks from the library to try some new things. I am always on the lookout for new experiences and things to learn. Hopefully the new recipes will make us all healthier too. Now if I only had time for all these things once school and work start again!

Summer!!

Summer is in full swing and the sun is shining. My garden is growing rapidly and as usual I planted everything too close so my tomatoes look like a forest of green. Oh well, they look happy and healthy. I see a few tiny tomatoes already. The strawberries are almost finished and the beans and peas are growing fast. I love harvesting the veggies and will soon be getting some peas and beans from our small crop. My husband has plans to expand next year.

Even though summer is supposed to be more relaxed, I find some aspects a bit tense, such as job hunting. I have been sending out resumes and going to some interviews in between relaxing in the yard with a book or digging in the garden. Hopefully my efforts will be fruitful in both areas,a job and the garden. Perhaps a swim in the pool or a walk in the woods will help to ease the tensions. It is easier to relax when the sun is warm and everything is calm and quiet. Nowhere to rush off to and no schedule to follow. I think I will go back to the hammock for a while and read. Ah, summer!

School's Out!

I finished teaching on Friday so now I can devote my time and energy to all the projects around the house like gardening, organizing cupboards,housecleaning and exercising more! The weather is beautiful and I am feeling summer is finally here. The children are swimming and the plants are all coming up in the garden! I also look forward to some "ME time" , reading, doing yoga, relaxing and contemplating life. Summer is a great time to renew even if you are still working at a job. The long days and sunshine make everyone feel less stressed and happier. Lots of things are changing in our lives these last few months, some stressful, some wonderful. Now I have time to look back at those events and see where I am going in the future.

Soul Mates

People often say they are looking for their soul mates. Sometimes they find them, often they do not. I did. My husband and I met over twenty-five years ago, presumably for the first time. In fact, we had met on a previous occasion but had not realized it. As children, we had seen each other but never exchanged names during a parade in my hometown. Years later he said he remembered a dark-haired girl(me) sitting on the sidewalk with her blond friend. Was it a coincidence or fate? – we don’t know. We have found many connections over the years that seemed like a bit of fate as well.

Our grandfathers worked together on the railroad and my grandmother used to visit his grandmother and great aunt in a neighbouring community. We were born a day apart in separate hospitals, grew up in different communities about twenty kilometres apart, and went to separate schools and churches. In a small region, you may be acquainted with some of the same people and meet without knowing it. This happened to us. We were introduced to each other at a basketball game that he was playing in and I was watching. Two years later he came into the store where I worked, and after many visits; he asked me to go on a date. I remembered him from the basketball game so I went out with him. Two years later we were married. And twenty-five years later we have three children and are still together.

In some ways we are very similar; we are both born under the sign of Libra – the scales. This means you are always trying to balance your life. We also have a hard time making decisions, we try to keep the peace and we trust people more than we sometimes should. In other ways we are quite different; I am more socialable and like to be around groups of people. He would rather do things on his own or with only one person. I am more practical and like to organize things. He is more idealistic and spontaneous. I believe this makes us balance each other well. Of course, sometimes it makes us disagree as well. This is how good relationships
work – cooperation and negotiation.

My husband is my best friend. I can tell him anything. I trust him with my inner most thoughts. We enjoy being together, whether it is going for walks, cooking dinner together or reading our books side by side. When we are separated for more than a day, we feel disconnected. Thankfully this has rarely happened. He often says he does not know how people have long distance relationships. It does not work with us. There is a connection that makes us need to remain physically close. We often talk on the phone when he is at work. I feel detached when we are apart.

Of course, I can still do my job and continue normally without him – I just feel more complete when we are together. I feel we are a part of each other and have given a piece of our spirit to the other for safe keeping. I believe you are with your soul mate until death and beyond. This month, we will celebrate our twenty-fifth anniversary - it seems that we were married only yesterday.

“The best is yet to be.” ~ Robert Browning

Well my peas and beans are coming up. I am so excited for the summer. I have two weeks left of school. I hope to put in cucumbers, tomatoes and broccoli on the weekend. The bushes and flowers are blooming and everything is green. I look forward to doing more in my garden and relaxing in the sun and pool!

Spirited Children

“Poetry is the art of creating imaginary gardens with real toads.” ~ Marianne Moore
I have three children, all girls that are very spirited. What I mean is they have an inner spark that needs to shine. I believe children are born with this spark but often parents, teachers, and society dampen this spark in various ways. I am sometimes guilty of that but I try to give them opportunities to shine. How I do this is by encouraging them to be creative and trying new activities, especially in art, music, imaginative play and writing.

All my children have loved to draw from an early age. This has been a great way for them to express their thoughts and feelings when the words were not easy. They have made cards, told stories and compiled books through pictures. Crafts became another artistic outlet as scraps of things were combined into something colourful and lovely: fairies, clay pots, and picture frames. I often am begged to buy paints, paper, colour pencils and other craft supplies. I have also enrolled them in art classes, camps and other activities to promote their passion. Even though I love their artistic natures, I am often overwhelmed by the mess of this creativity in their bedrooms. Whether their passion will turn into a talent to be shared with the world or only for their own pleasure, I know it is a healthy endeavour to follow.

As they got older, words were added to their pictures and often became a separate enterprise of creating poems and stories. The drawing and painting often was done separately to the writing as they matured. My oldest daughter blossomed as she wrote stories and poems in school and at home. She was published in school journals and asked to read them at assemblies. She developed her own website with her writing as a highlight. This is truly her passion and may be in her future as a career. As an adult, she has a blog on crafting and gardening now.

My other girls are following her lead in writing for pleasure in their free time. They all love to read which has led them to a love of words - influenced by myself. As parents, we have set an example of the enjoyment of reading and educating yourself. A good reader often will become a good writer.

Music is something that has always been in our home. My oldest daughter listened to children’s entertainers like Raffi and Fred Penner on tape every night - it helped her to fall asleep. We would also play many different types of music on tapes and CD’s - from folk to rock to classical. In school, they all loved being in the choir and the band. My two oldest girls also joined the local youth choir. We eventually bought our oldest daughter her own flute and then an electronic piano for the younger girls. My middle daughter has now been in musicals and takes voice lessons. The youngest is now taking piano lessons. All this can be expensive so I try to pick and choose what we can do to encourage our girls’ musical ability. Music and playing an instrument is helpful to establish discipline and improves academic performance. It may just become a lifelong love of music, the ability to sing or play an instrument, or a career in music; it is all well worth it.

Some other creative ventures that my children have enjoyed are imaginative play, dancing, play-acting, and creating music. We try not to censure these things unless there is homework, chores, or meals to eat. I believe children need lots of time just to play and imagine on their own or in small groups. They do have some scheduled activities to do, but they have plenty of free time as well. They usually are found in their rooms doing crafts, writing stories, drawing, or creating and listening to music. The joy and intensity on their faces is wonderful to watch. I trust my daughters will make the most of this artistic lifestyle throughout their lives to uplift and sustain them.

Relaxation

A mind too active is no mind at all. ~ Theodore Roethke

As a mother and full time educator, I am always trying to find time to relax and not thinking of the next thing to be done. Most of the year, there never seems to be enough time with children’s activities, housework, and schoolwork. The summer seems to be a bit easier as I catch up on my housework and can read a book or lie in the sun in the afternoon. There are no children to pick up from school, no lesson plans to prepare, no meals to make in a rush – just some time to zone out. The only problem with summer is I tend to want to do all these other projects, now that I have the time, and I still am looking for relaxation time.

I need to find relaxation time all year long. I love to read and could read a good book all afternoon if there was nothing else to do, so I try to do my housework or errands and then relax with a novel or do some work on my writing. This does not always work as something else seems to come up (a child needs to be driven somewhere or the chores take all day, instead of a few hours). It seems a shame that one must schedule “down time”, but as a mother with a fulltime job it is often necessary.
I schedule things like a tea break at the local café with my husband on Sunday mornings, browsing at the local farm market on Saturdays or a walk in the woods. Sometimes I would like to just do something more spontaneous, but that is not always possible with children and work responsibilities. I work out my day in my mind of what I will do and when, adding some “down time” along the way. Sometimes it doesn’t happen until the end of the day, but I am trying to include a break sooner even if I am not finished all my chores. I realize that there will always be something else to do; however I need to enjoy life right now.

Relaxation is not a way to be lazy or shirk responsibility. It is a way to renew yourself so that you can do your job(s) more effectively. I sometimes feel guilty if I am just reading a novel or relaxing on the couch, but I tell myself that I need this time so I won’t burn out. During the school year, I often feel overwhelmed when I have not taken enough time to relax. This is when I need it most, yet there is always so much to do, it is easy to forget until you crash. This often involves irritability, fatigue, headaches and feelings of anxiety. I need to balance my life before I get to this point – putting some relaxation time into every day and not feeling guilty about it. I am still working on this and that is part of becoming a more balanced person.

Okay, break’s over, back to the laundry!

Gardening

As I write this my husband is tilling up our garden patch. I helped him a bit with raking and adding compost. We are hoping to have a larger garden this year. We usually have lots of peas, beans and tomatoes but I would love to have a few new vegetables like kale and broccoli. I have never grown either.

My eldest daughter is starting her first gardening adventure as I am starting my twelfth year with a vegetable garden. This year I am starting some things in pots ahead instead of buying them. I also used only organic seeds. We use no pesticides or commercial fertilizer, just compost and sheep manure. It is an exciting time of year to start growing things.

Hopefully I can post some pictures as my garden grows.

Walking in the Woods

If you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking.
Angels whisper to a woman when she goes for a walk.” ~ Raymond Inmon

Walking is the most natural thing for humans to do, yet we do it so little. In the past I have gotten into the habit of walking every day for at least thirty minutes. Then long stretches will come when I get busy and barely get out once a week. It is a habit that seems easy to break. Yet when I am on my solitary jaunts in the woods I feel rejuvenated and happy. Why then do I not walk consistently every day? I don’t really know.

There are lots of excuses. I don’t have time. I’m too tired. It is too hot or cold. I don’t feel well. These are usually the times when I should be pushing myself to get outside and walk. I don’t seem to have much discipline when it comes to exercise. It often becomes a dreaded event when it should be looked at as a time to renew oneself.

When I finally do go out and walk under the trees or by the pond I feel energetic and happy that I am there. My senses come alive with the sounds and scents of the woods; plants, birds and squirrels. I forget all my other thoughts or worries and just breathe in the sights, smells and sounds of nature. Even in the winter, the constant crunch of my feet in the snow is like music to my soul.
I often think about problems or my plans for the day while I am walking. The unimportance of minor worries seems to become clear while I walk. Perhaps that is why people say, “Go take a walk and clear your head”. When I walk I seem to get creative ideas for my classes or other projects that I want to start. My oldest daughter often gets her ideas for stories to write after a long walk. The exertion of climbing inclines or crossing streams seems to be therapeutic as well. It gets your heart and lungs pumping and your legs moving – something we were made to do. I often use “exercise is good for my body’ as my motivation to get started but once there, it is the peaceful serenity of nature that holds me.

My goal is to walk every day and not rush through it, but use this as my time alone to meditate and ponder all the questions in my mind. It is a time to reflect on my life and put things into perspective ~ to think about what is truly important.

Local Eating

A year ago, I read a book called The 100 Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating. J.B. MacKinnon and Alisa Smith, two young urbanites from Vancouver try to eat only food found in a 100 mile radius of their home. They encountered many challenges along the way, but eventually became very good at local eating. I thought if they could do this in the city, I could try it in the fertile Annapolis Valley. Very soon after reading this book, I read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. She writes about how her family ate food produced in the place where they lived for one year. Both books inspired me to try local eating for our health, community and the environment.

So now I am trying my own 100 Mile Diet by purchasing as much local food as possible. It actually is quite easy to eat locally in the summer in Nova Scotia. Where I live there are at least five farm markets within a ten minute drive, as well as farms that have local foods within thirty minutes. The Wolfville Farmer’s Market on Saturday brings producers from around the area right to you. There is also a farmer’s market in Kentville on Wednesday mornings and several other communities down the Valley have started markets recently. Even the local grocery store with the slogan, Grown Close to Home, has been trying to get more local produce, as well as bread, meats, honey, cheese and tofu.

I began my local eating adventure last July driving through Greenwich. I stopped at two farm markets purchasing fresh vegetables like carrots, beans, potatoes, green peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes and broccoli. I also purchased whole wheat rolls baked fresh. The next day my youngest daughter and I picked four boxes of strawberries at a local U-Pick. We also picked fresh lettuce from our own garden. On Saturday I lined up for veggies at my favourite stand at the Farmers’ Market. I also purchased delicious yogurt, cheese and the largest eggs I have ever seen. If you are not vegetarians as we are, you can purchase organic meats there as well. Every week there are always new vegetables and fruits ready to try. Even local restaurants are using more produce grown close by.

But what about when winter comes? Well I am freezing strawberries and some vegetables as we speak. A new small deep freezer is in our plans as well as preserving jams, pickles and relishes, something I usually do anyway. Our garden has a lot of tomato plants so I hope to try sun-drying a few. The abundance will continue for many months to come, so I am preparing.

Do I still buy non-local produce? Occasionally. Bananas and oranges do not grow here. But why buy them when we have so many luscious berries, great fruit as well as superb vegetables available here in the summer and fall. We are enjoying Local Eating!

Independent Spirit

A few years ago my eldest daughter went on an adventure, and not her first. Not quite eighteen, she flew to BC and lived and worked there for many months. A few summers ago she traveled across the country with her boyfriend. She called often to tell of her adventures: sleeping in a tent in a meadow, eating in an organic café, riding the subway, meeting new people, seeing a bear and practicing her French. She also told us of her plans for the coming days and weeks. Often these plans changed with the wind as new opportunities arise. Often people she encountered did not understand her or her lack of a “back-up plan”.

With her dark hair, olive skin and colourful, exotic clothes and jewellery, my daughter looks more like a gypsy than a girl from small town Nova Scotia. She is a gypsy at heart as well; always wanting to see the world, especially exotic places. Right now her travels have been within Canada, but she wants to travel to Europe, Africa, and Asia or elsewhere when she has the opportunity. A lot of people do not understand her zeal for adventure or why her parents (us) would encourage or “allow” her to go. She has always been a self-sufficient young lady with a mind of her own, so we have tried to give her some opportunities to develop her independent spirit. It does not mean we didn’t worry about her safety or miss her when she left, but to hold her back would only damage her spirit. We respected her decisions and trusted that she would find her way in the world. In her young life, she has travelled and seen more than a lot of people do in their lifetimes.

I feel that I am taking an adventure with my daughter every time she leaves even though I am still at home in my own house. I am learning how to let go, to trust my daughter and her wisdom, to support her decision to see the world. I have done a bit of traveling in my youth (not as much as her) and I plan to do some in the future. Seeing her go off “shakes up” my neat little world and makes me realize there is still a lot to see. I can’t be complacent and think my traveling dreams are over now that I am older and have children. I also realize I can have adventures here at home by trying fresh activities and meeting new people.

Now at 22, my daughter has settled down with her soul mate in BC, all the way across the country. She is still trying new things, like sewing, weaving and gardening. I am sure her adventures are not over yet.

Life is an adventure. I have learned that from my first born child. I have encouraged her to be independent, speak her mind, and try new ventures. Now I should take my own advice and start an adventure. There is a quote that I love about children:

"There are only two lasting gifts that we can give to our children: one is Roots, the other Wings.”

No More Meat

Twelve years ago my family never thought that we would become vegetarians. I had some health problems that might be helped if I stopped eating red meat (because of the fat), so as the main cook I discussed giving up red meat (beef and pork) for the summer months with my family. I started reading websites on the internet and books on vegetarianism. We were just going to do this experiment for a few months. A few months later as I became more informed on how unhealthy eating any meat could be, we gave up chicken as well. In the spring, we cut out fish and have only had it a few times when eating away from home when there were no other choices. We were now Vegetarians.

I don’t dislike the taste of meat. It was simply a health decision at first. The high levels of saturated fat and cholesterol in animal foods are a good reason to not eat meat. Plants have little fat or cholesterol. The leading causes of death in North America, heart disease and cancer, are both directly related to what we eat. “Vegetarians have the best diet; they have the lowest rates of coronary heart disease of any group in the country.”(William Castelli, Director, Framingham Health Study, The Food Revolution, John Robbins, 2001, p.19) “…Vegetarians suffer 59 percent less cancer of all kinds, and 97 percent less colon cancer.”(Becoming Vegetarian, Vesanto Melina et al, 1994, p. 22)

The high amount of pesticides, bacteria, hormones and antibiotics found in animal foods is quite astounding. Microbes found in unsafe meat cause disturbing symptoms and often death. Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli, Campylobacter and BSE (causes Mad Cow Disease) are on the rise. “… From 1989 through 1996, a total of 32 million pounds of contaminated meats were recalled.” (The Food Revolution, John Robbins, 2001, p.135)
Eventually the thought of eating other living creatures was not very appetizing. A lot of people, including myself, often do not connect the slab of meat they buy at the supermarket with a living breathing animal. Many animals are raised and slaughtered in very inhumane ways. Cramped cages, debeaking, separating young calves from their mothers, butchering animals while they are still alive, castration, and light deprivation are some examples of the atrocious treatment livestock receive. “Virtually every chicken…sold…is the outcome of a life that knew only deprivation and pain.” (May All Be Fed, John Robbins, 1992, p.102) All this suffering is to satisfy our (North Americans) excessive consumption of animal foods. People in third world countries are starving while western countries have an excess of food, especially meat. Many of the crops that we grow go to feed animals that we eat instead of feeding people. “…if Americans reduced their meat consumption by 10 percent, enough grain would be saved to feed sixty million people.” (May All Be Fed, John Robbins, 1992, p.35)
The devastation to the environment (tropical rainforests, ozone depletion) and the waste of resources (water, fertile land) are linked to raising livestock. For example; it takes 50 times more fossil fuels [gas, oil] to produce a meat-based diet than a plant-based diet. (“Ten Reasons to Become a Vegetarian”, The New York Times, June 20, 1989) “Water required to produce 1 pound of U.S. beef: 2500 gallons. Water required to produce 1 pound of potatoes: 24 gallons.” (The Food Revolution, John Robbins, 2001, p. 236)
The above examples are just the tip of the iceberg of the pain and suffering animals, humans and our world endure because of our consumption of animals. If you want more information on reducing your meat intake, refer to the books and websites I mentioned. Earthsave, a non-profit organization founded by John Robbins, has a lot of well researched information taken from his books as well.
The main objection that people give about cutting out meat is that they believe they will be lacking protein in their diet. There is protein in many other foods besides meat and animal products. There is sufficient protein in a balanced vegetarian diet. In fact, most North Americans eat too much protein rather than too little. “…Americans and other members of industrial societies ingest[ing] twice as much protein as they need.” (Worldwatch Institute, July, 1991) Along with the protein in soy, lentils and other legumes (beans) you also get fibre, vitamins and minerals and none of the saturated fat and cholesterol of meat. There are small amounts of protein in other plant foods as well. If you have a balanced diet with whole grains, fruits and vegetables, legumes or other meat alternatives you will have plenty of protein.
It has not always been easy to be a vegetarian, especially around family and friends who I’m sure thought we were being strange or difficult at times. My teenage daughter got a bit of teasing, but there were several vegetarians in her class and among her friends. She would have become a vegetarian on her own anyway. Teenaged vegetarians are the fastest growing group of vegetarians as many young people try to voice their concern for animals and the environment.
Eating at restaurants can sometimes cause problems but we are getting better and most restaurants have vegetarian entrees as well. Even Burger King has Veggie Burgers now. We have discovered two vegetarian restaurants in a nearby city where we take occasional trips for shopping and visiting museums. Many large centres will have some vegetarian restaurants. We are definitely eating better and feeling better. My husband and three children have not complained that they are missing anything. We still have pizza, burgers, hotdogs, and spaghetti and meatballs; only now they are made from soy products. If you like the taste of meat there are pre-made soy burgers, soy ground beef, soy hotdogs, soy ham, soy bacon and soy pepperoni, to name a few. There are prepared meals like lasagne, pizza and chilli, as well. Many ethnic recipes have little or no meat as well. Take a look at East Indian or Asian cuisine for some great vegetarian food. If you look in your supermarket’s produce or frozen sections you may find many vegetarian delights. It can be quite an adventure!
I suggest, as do many vegetarian websites and books, to go slowly in the transition away from meat. You need to get good information about why you should reduce or eliminate animal foods and then find some good recipes. I used many books but the most useful were May All Be Fed by John Robbins (also A Diet for a New America and The Food Revolution) and Becoming Vegetarian by Vesanto Melina et al. The first book gives you all the arguments and facts about why not eating animals is healthier for healthier for humans and the environment. The second book gives facts and step by step ideas on how to do it, as well as recipes. These books and others on vegetarianism are often available at your local library. There are lots of good websites as well.

I hope you will give vegetarianism a try and have a veggie burger at your next summer barbeque!

~Allison



“People only see what they are prepared to see.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Family

The capacity for delight is the gift of paying attention.
~Julia Cameron

I would like to introduce my family: my husband, Graeme and my three daughters, Laura, Emily and Julia. Graeme is very supportive and involved in raising our children. He is striving for his own balance. Laura is married, a former homeschooler and a wonderful writer (much better than me) and lives in BC. Emily is a teenager, very physically active and loves to sing and play the piano. Julia is a preteen, very independent, loves drawing and writing.

My philosophy about raising children has changed slightly since I had my first child. I was stricter and more cautious at first. My attitude is more laid-back now. I never did want to raise my children as we were brought up – with a lot of rules and restrictions. Of course homework, chores and discipline are important as well. I still try to keep guidelines for them in some areas such as personal safety, school and television. I believe children should not be scheduled all the time. We believe that children need time and space to explore and be creative. Our home is usually relaxed and peaceful, although sometimes it is noisy with activity as well.

When my children were younger (preschool age) I was very in favour of “attachment parenting”. They were all breastfed and carried and held a lot. I stayed home for the first year or two and only worked part-time after that. Now that they are older they are quite confident and independent. A great site for parents about attachment parenting is The Natural Child Project. Now that they are older, they go to some organized activities and spend their time at home in very unstructured ways. They enjoy imaginative games, drawing and other crafts, computer programs, and playing music and singing. In the summer they spend lots of time outside and we go swimming, canoeing and camping often.

My family is very important to me but I am also trying to take some more time for myself. I am striving to set a balance between the needs and demands of my family, my career and myself. This website shows how I am trying to do this. That is why it is called Emerging Balance. I am also looking for people who have similar ideas and experiences to share them with me.

Emerging Balance

It’s time to start living the life you’ve imagined. ~Henry James

I am Allison and welcome to my blog. My reason for creating a blog is to share my ideas and interests with other people, especially other women. I called it Emerging Balance because I believe everyone is seeking a balance in their life just as I am. My spirit is still emerging just like a butterfly leaving its cocoon.

As we mature we try to balance the various aspects of our lives - jobs, family, leisure time. This can be difficult when one or more of these areas are very demanding. At the beginning of my adult life, my education and career were very important. After I had a family, they became my focus. Now that they are older, I can focus more attention to my career again. I am also trying to do more things for myself now. I am trying new things, taking classes and including more physical activity in my life.

I feel I am rediscovering myself as I now have more time to do things for myself. I am trying things that I enjoyed as a teenager (writing poetry, journaling) as well as new things (drawing, website design). I am more in touch with my feelings as I have more time to think about them. Of course the other demands are still there but I am taking time for myself now. If I do this I will have more to give my family and be more centered at work. Of course I sometimes go off balance and then I feel badly, but that is what life is about - maintaining a balance.

I have my own articles as well as information on many different topics such as health and nutrition, family life and raising children, and self-fulfillment and creativity.