Spring has sprung in our household. My children’s sports schedule is full and Mom’s chauffeur service is in high demand. Therefore, I am often attending a game or driving to and from a practice during dinner hour.…

One of my adult students is in the market for a 6-foot grand piano.  When she makes her decision and writes her check, it will be a five-figure purchase. She neither teaches music nor plays for money; this piano is necessary for her to play the classical music she loves with great artistry. And while her husband has been supportive, some of her friends have been stunned at the idea of spending this much money on something so “irrelevant.” 

American culture tells us that relevant…

As all of the wonderful spring flowers are in bloom and the days are finally getting warmer, I encountered a beautiful rose garden in a neighbors yard and was reminded to literally stop and smell the roses.

A walk outdoors for me is so often just about exercise, but I'm trying to become more…

What does it truly mean to be alone, and to be happy? How many of us can truly say that we have perfected that art? So many people are constantly looking for fulfillment and happiness through external forces; whether it be trying to complete themselves with a love partner, or trying to validate themselves with a career.…

Can you keep track of the "latest" in nutrition? In the 1860s, we were told carbs were bad for us; then in the 1980s, they were good for us. (And then, in the early 2000s, they were bad again). The same fate was shared by fat. It was good, then it was bad. Soy too. Now it appears to be wheat that is the latest nutrition enemy. Let's take a walk through history to underscore the fickleness of it all. By doing so, we see that wheat is simply the latest excuse for marketing new products and…

This morning I wanted to make a yummy sandwich concocted from the many Easter leftovers. I thought about a basic ham and cheese sandwich, classic. Then I thought of making ham salad like my dad used to make, although I knew I wouldn’t be able to make it like he did. He was from the mid-West and I think that’s a requirement to make ham salad and the like. Then I was studying the plethora of cheeses we laid out this last Sunday,and doing some type of open faced…

I would just like to start this post by saying that I am so thankful Whole Living exists to give me an outlet for my "healthy rants". It is really sad that my social and work community frowns on being healthy. It is frustrating that I can only really be excited about the new fresh fruits and veggies this season on an online community, but that's a completely separate topic. :)

Earlier this week I felt so sick from eating too heavily last weekend. My stomach felt full, bloated, and I…

In 2007 a profound betrayal and subsequent loss of my best friend plunged me into the darkest years of my life. Despite my anguish, I somehow mustered up the strength to make the bold (or arguably stupid!) decision of moving across country to Los Angeles, in part to fight for love, only to find myself rejected…

According to the American Institute of Stress, nearly 45% of all adults suffer adverse health effects due to stress and 75 to 90% of all visits to primary care physicians are for stress-related complaints. Long-term effects of stress include high blood pressure, anxiety, insomnia, muscular aches and pains, ulcers, skin rashes, and food intolerances. In addition, stress has been linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, digestive system diseases, cancer, and aging. Stress is not to be taken…

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Planning For Your Fitness & Health Goals

   Planning is an important part of success. You plan for your education, weddings, vacations…all in anticipation of the end result. It isn’t any different when you begin a new lifestyle change, diet or fitness routine.

Once you have your goal set, whether it’s losing weight or building muscle, or just getting “in better shape”, you need to figure out how you are going to accomplish that goal.

   Set some time…

Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe, a German architect, once said, “God is in the details” and Maezumi Roshi, a Zen monk said “details are all there are.” so what does that have to do with cooking. Creating in the kitchen is a process; it is like the story in the Hebrew Bible of how God created the earth. God would create something, look at it, and think it was good, but then the next day, God would create something else to go into this creation and so forth and so on. The creation was not a one time…

Dinner With A Friend

One of my very good girlfriends luckily lives within a 10 second walk just downstairs from me. Both of our significant others are in Dallas right now, so we thought we'd get together for a little dinner. Nothing extravagant, just a light simple dinner. I brought a Grilled Calamari + Zucchini salad, and she served her delicious Chicken Salad she…

Yesterday, I was challenged to do something I had not done in a while and that was to be mindful of what I said and what I thought. Denise Linn calls this being a sacred observer. Miguel don Ruiz uses a similar exercise in which he has you write down all those thoughts that float through your head. So often, we are not aware of the language of our thoughts. Even when we do not speak language that is disempowering, we may think it. It is a humbling experience when you observe your speech and…

I realized something about myself today that I wasn't happy about.  For starters let me say that I am a good mom. I do homework with my son every evening. He always has clean clothes to wear and nourishing food to eat. He's in bed relatively early every night. I tell him I love him often. We participate in all kinds of family traditions and attend many community activities together.

Today I was putting away his sled.  ( I know it's way past that time, but my husband has a…

I'd like to introduce you to my faithful pal, "i". He's very good at keeping me connected. I rely on him tremendously and find it hard to believe there was ever life without him. I spend more time with him than anyone else. When I ask my husband, "where is 'i'?", he knows I am not losing my grammatical skills or waxing philosophical. It means I'm looking for my 4.25" x 2.25" constant companion. "i" is how I endearingly refer to my iPhone. He's here with me now.



As much as I ♥ "i",…