The Daoist Diaries

February 25, 2007

Carnival of Family Life

    

Welcome to the February 26, 2007 edition of the Carnival of Family Life, hosted by Modern Sage.

Csara presents Why Online Communities Rock posted at Baby Talkers, saying, “This article is listing reasons why people should be a part of an online community.”

Hal Sommerschield, Ph.D. presents I Thought Everything Was Fine; Then It’s Gone! posted at North Star Mental Fitness Blog.

Karen Lynch presents Success and the Laundry posted at LivethePower.

JHSiess presents It All Began at Chuck E. Cheese’s posted at Colloquium, saying, “JHS presents “It All Began at Chuck E. Cheese’s,” the story of how she met her husband on a blind date there!”

Admin presents Mother-In-Law Vent! posted at Mother-In-Law Vent!.

Hsien-Hsien Lei presents Antony Lishak, Children’s Book Author posted at Play Library, saying, “Thanks!”

Morgan presents Happy Valentine’s Day! :: posted at Morgan Abigail’s World.

Jordan McCollum presents Where I belong posted at MamaBlogga, saying, “Another introspective post. (I’m really not this serious all the time; I’ll have to get some of our funny moments out there soon!)”

Patricia presents Let Off Steam: 4 Types of Releases You Need to be Happy and Healthy posted at Patricia, saying, “Do you have healthy outlets for life’s stress, or are you taking your frustrations out on your family? Find out new ways to let off steam and be the person you want to be.”

Frugal Duchess presents The Frugal Duchess: “But Mom…Half the Kids in My Class Have Cell Phones!” posted at Sharon, saying, “There’s a new school bell ringing in my house. Two of my children (’tweens) have started to lobby for cell phones. Here’s a rundown of their arguments: The Whine: “Almost all my friends have cell phones….”"

Liza’s Eyeview presents Family Time - Whale Day Celebration posted at Liza’s Eyeview.

Michelle Mitchell presents Deep Thoughts posted at scribbit.

Athol Kay presents Eskimo’s Have 50 Words For Snow posted at The Real Estate Guide.

Lakshmi presents Sigh ! posted at Alchemy.

GP presents 2007 Could be a Boomer posted at Fish Creek House - INNside Innkeeping, saying, “Baby boomers are leading the travel brigade armed with their kids and maybe their laptops. There’s always room at the inn”

Madeleine Begun Kane presents Surmounting Marriage posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog.

J Mitchell Parker, Jr presents Watch Your Mouth posted at From His Lips.

Barry Mahfood presents Mothers (and Fathers) Are Good at Making Things Grow posted at The Price of Rice!.

Christine presents Does A Maid Destroy Your Child’s Character? posted at EverydayDisasters, saying, “I wrote about How To Hire a Maid when I was replacing my maid. Reflections on the effects on children came when my children started commenting on my blog (they’re teenagers.)”

Julee presents Do It All posted at Homeschool Daze, saying, “Talks about paring down your responsiblities and belongings so that you can have more time with your family.”

MoneyDummy presents Home Mafinomics posted at Beyond Sanity.

Stephanie presents Never Take a Toddler on a Picnic at the Playground posted at Work at Home in Progress, saying, “Going to the playground for lunch on a beautiful day sounded like such a good idea….”

diane presents The Princess Rules posted at Bean and Bee, saying, “Hi. I have been following this blog carnival for a while. I rarely have anything significant to contribute, but I guess this conversation with my daughter on Princesses was kind of cute?”

The Positivity Blog presents 5 life-changing keys to overcoming your fear posted at Henrik Edberg.

Maureen O’Brien presents Trinity Prep School - What A Child Needs Most posted at Trinity Prep School, saying, “Do you know what your child needs most?”

Linda Freedman presents Jewish weddings-embarrassing your kids posted at Everyone needs therapy? Lessons from a family therapist, saying, “How big a problem is this, embarrassing our kids? TherapyDoc thinks maybe it’s bigger than we’d like to think.”

Craig Harper presents Keep Your Thin Creepy Lips to Yourself posted at Renovate your life with Craig, saying, “Lately I’ve had a bunch of people who seem to be predisposed to significant lip action at the drop of a hat…. and I’m not diggin’ it! What’s with that??? People who I hardly know, kissing me hello or goodbye… on the gob! (Australian for mouth). Uncalled for and occasionally, creepy. Invariably they have skinny, cold, fish lips…. and bad breath.”

Chris Dolley presents A Kitten’s Guide to Looking Cute while Unconscious posted at Author Chris Dolley’s Page.

Jul presents Three vegetables my grandmother taught me to love posted at Veggie Chic.

Karen Lynch presents Barbies and Bratz and the Law of Attraction posted at LivethePower, saying, “”Barbie” can be, do or have anything in the world!”

Michelle Mitchell presents Tips for Improving Your Child’s Literacy posted at scribbit.

Amy Allen Clark presents Frugality Births Creativity posted at MomAdvice, saying, “Thanks a bunch!”

Jeremy Adam Smith presents Ted’s Story: Not his father’s son posted at Daddy Dialectic.

Jeremy Adam Smith presents Flow vs. Its Opposite posted at Daddy Dialectic.

Rich Peluso presents K & Queen Elizabeth posted at DigitalRichDaily.

jldude presents If You Make E. a Gingerbread Baby T-shirt… posted at daddy made it.

LocalGirl presents Finding Inspiration posted at Local Girl.

mom & dad presents Potty Training Success (So Far) posted at raising4boys.com.

Super Saver presents Having Children Has Made Us More Frugal posted at My Wealth Builder.

Stephanie presents STOP! Do not make a trip to the store! posted at Stop the Ride!.

Stephanie presents Nolan is Growing Up posted at Adventures in the 100 Acre Wood.

Chad presents Snowshoes posted at The Maine Life.

DeputyHeadmistrss presents Still Working posted at The Common Room.

Athol Kay presents I Am The Man of Steel posted at The Real Estate Guide.

Lisa presents Where all the fish were Nemo…. posted at Lil Duck Duck.

Lori presents Is Technology Stealing Creative and Free Play Away from Our Kids? posted at Fun Play Dates.

Dana presents Pregnancy Update, or prayers answered before requested posted at Principled Discovery.

Holly presents Smartie Pants posted at Holly’s Corner Blog.

Alejandra Peraza de Halvorssen presents The In-Laws posted at A Guide to Raising Great Kids.

Elizabeth presents Seven Career and Family Online Scheduling Resources posted at Career and Kids.

Megan Bayliss presents How to Spell F.A.M.I.L.Y posted at Home Schooling Aspergers..

Andrea Dickson presents The most expensive member of your family: the pets! posted at Wise Bread Frugal.

Megan Bayliss presents Parenting a child with Aspergers Syndrome posted at Helium - Where Knowledge Rules.

Frugal Duchess presents The Frugal Duchess: My Teen’s First Paid Haircut: Finding His Own Frugal Path posted at http://sharonhr.blogspot.com/index.html.

Mike presents Reasons to bring dad to the grocery store posted at Be A Good Dad.

Kerri Aldrich presents Bubble Baths with Mr. Bubble posted at Play Library.

Kevin presents Advantages Of Sports And Teens posted at More4kids Parenting.

Shamelle presents Why Do Smart People Do Stupid Things Sometimes? posted at Enhance Life.

Babylune presents Now It’s Just Stress. What Should I Do About It? posted at Babylune.

Thrifty Mommy presents 50 Ways to Save Money on Your Grocery Bill posted at Thrifty Mommy.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of carnival of family life using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page

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February 23, 2007

Healthy Living Product Review: BeautyandSpaConcepts.com

When Beauty and Spa Concepts boasts homemade soap, they also mean homegrown. Owner, Sam Farhat, explains that they grow and press their own olives for the oil used in their cold-process homemade soap. Uutilizing ancient methods dating back to hundreds of years and using only 100% olive oil and mineral salts, Beauty and Spa Concepts’olive oil soap is so pure, it fits every skin type and is perfect for face and body.

The result is a soap that is truly rich and moisturizing. The bars are a generous size (anywhere from 9 to 11 ounces) and come in scented or unscented. We received soap and loofah combinations in a pretty, organza gift bag. Perfect for gift giving or to treat yourself!

Beauty and Spa Concepts recommends their olive oil soap for those with eczema psoriasis, or dry skin. So, we gave soap and loofahs to our testers who suffer from rosacea, eczema and severe dry skin patches. The pure, organic and preservative-free ingredients were especially gentle on rosacea and eczema. We even used the soap and loofah combination on our faces for a smooth, gentle cleansing. After a week of using the soap and loofah together, several chronically dry skin patches were greatly diminished.

Although olive oil soap does not produce the large lather of more harsh, commercial brands of bar soap, these bars did produce an extremely silky feel and very adequate lather. The bars held up well in the shower and didn’t turn soft or mushy. We tested the unscented bars and enjoyed the earthy, natural scent. A scented bar is also available.

Loofa and soap combinations are affordably priced $9.00 or treat yourself to 9 bars for only $29.95. If you are looking for a rich, softening bathing experience for yourself or as a gift, give Beauty and Spa Concepts’ homegrown, handmade olive oil soap and loofahs a try. Visit their website at www.beautyandspaconcepts.com.

Olive Oil Soap

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February 20, 2007

More Terrific Heart Health Resources!

Continuing our month long focus on heart health, we’d like to share some additional heart health resources:


The National Day of Dance for Cardiovascular Health
. Communities around the country participate by sponsoring events geared to raise awareness about cardiovascular health. Specific events are unique to each community. The National Day of Dance is sponsored by the Spirit of Women Hospital Network.

Please visit their website at dayofdance.org to find a National Day of Dance in your area.

WalkWithSpirit.org. Whether you walk on a treadmill, around an office park during lunch or in your neighborhood, log those miles with WalkWithSpirit.org.

They provide log sheets and progress maps to help you maintain a record of your miles. Plus, check out their library of fact sheets and share them with friends and family who may need encouragement getting started on a walking routine.


Do you have a heart healthy recipe to share?
Check out our latest contest, you could be published in our next ebook and receive a gift pack from BeautyandSpaConcepts.com

Download the ModernSage Heart Health Resource Guide for additional resources.

Visit the Sage Library for heart healthy information:
“Ten Tips For a Healthy Heart” by Susan Weed
“Heart Healthy” by Susan Weed

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February 16, 2007

Carnival of a Modern Sage

   

Welcome to the February 16, 2007 edition of Carnival of a Modern Sage. Have a look at these fantastic blogs below for great tips and advice on health and wellness. 

  

Healthy Meals

Kathy Maister presents Chicken & Broccoli Stir Fry posted at Kathy Maister’s startcooking.com, saying, “Chicken & Broccoli Stir Fry is a great way to get a high-fiber, heart healthy and delicious dinner on the table, fast!”

Will Chen presents Fake meat only makes you lighter, not your wallet posted at Wisebread.

Inspiration

Praveen presents Resetting posted at Tao of Simplicity.

Modern Sage presents My Heart Story posted at Practical Living Blog, saying, “A personal and touching heart story from our friend with heart disease.”

Nneka presents Waiting On The World To Change posted at Balanced Life Center.

Craig Harper presents What if Today’s the Day? posted at Renovate your life with Craig, saying, “They say that insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome. We don’t want to acknowledge it…. but that’s what many of us do. Constantly. We pride ourselves on the fact that we are students of life; the world is our classroom and everyday is a new lesson. Sure. We keep doing the same dumb things.”

Rebecca Newburn presents Asking ?Why?? Can Change Your Life and Transform Your Class posted at Information Age Education, saying, “Learn how to use “afforemations” to change your life. It’s fun and easy enough for kids to learn. What a gift!”

Laughter

Lakshmi presents Random irritations posted at Alchemy.

Living Well

RachelAPP presents How to beat stress at work posted at Food for your mind, saying, “A light article about how to avoid stress at work, and why we should do so.”

Modern Sage presents Are You Heart Healthy? posted at Practical Living Blog, saying, “Women’s Heart Health”

Rt @ Real Muscle Online presents Lose that Fat Butt! posted at Real Women’s Fitness.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Carnival of a Modern Sage using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

If you are interested in being a host for an upcoming edition, email liz@modernsage.com.

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February 13, 2007

Heart Smart Cooking with Olive Oil

Standing in a hot kitchen one summer afternoon in Cape Cod, I watched my 70 year old “Uncle Nick” fry eggplant in olive oil. As I watched him, and tried to converse with him in my best possible Greek, I noticed how strong and energetic he was. His face weathered from his years of labor in the mediterranean sun, but his physical and mental abilities were strong and vibrant.

However, as hard as he tried to convince me how good olive oil was for my health, my twenty-three year old, fast food palate was not enticed to take a taste of what I thought was “nasty, greasy food”, as opposed to fast food french fries and burgers!

My uncle lived in his own home, caring for himself and maintaining his property until he was over ninety years old. And, twenty three years later, I have since come to appreciate the olive oil cooking he and many of my Greek relatives knew and used all through their long, productive lives.

Over the past forty years researchers have established the health benefits of olive oil.

By studying the eating habits and health history of the people of Greece and the “Meditteranean” countries, researchers have concluded that a diet rich in plant foods, with olive oil as the primary fat source, help lower the risk of heart disease, stroke and many cancers.

Here are a few simple tips for incorporating olive oil into your diet:

  • Replace bottled salad dressings with olive oil and vinegar. For variation try various types of infused vinegars.
  • Sprinkle a little olive oil over a bowl of steamed greens (spinach, dandelions, escarole) or broccoli.
  • Before grilling fish, place the fillets in a foil pouch, sprinkle with olive oil and dill.
  • When browning onions and/or garlic for a dish, use olive oil.
  • Search the Internet for baking recipes that use extra light virgin oil in cakes, cookies, etc.
  • When browning chicken, use olive oil.
  • Make a simple “greek” potato salad by mixing boiled red potatoes (cut into bite-sized pieces), onion, dill, olive oil, lemon juice and pepper.If you haven’t entered our heart-healthy recipe contest, please check it out. We’ll feature your recipe in our upcoming ebook and you’ll receive a wonderful gift pack from Beauty and Spa Concepts.

Here is my heart healthy recipe. This is a dish I recently enjoyed, prepared by my mother’s 95 year old sister!

Artichokes and Fava Beans
(Greek name: Aginares ke Koukia)

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup sliced onions
chopped dried dill and parsley
1 teaspoon salt (optional)
pepper
1/2 cup water
1 can large lima beans
1 can artichokes
Juice of 1 lemon

Directions:

Cook sliced onions and seasonings in olive oil until soft. Add water and bring to a boil. Drain beans, add to onions, and cook over low heat for 15 minutes. Add artichokes and lemon juice, and cook 5 minutes longer to blend flavors.

This dish truly tastes best if refrigerated and the flavors are allowed to “blend” overnight. Enjoy!

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