Mindful Kim Blogs!

2015 is nearly apon us! Here are my plans for the new year... 1- inspire more people to go vegan (and whatever else I can do) 2- minimize 'stuff' to create a peaceful sanctuary 3- be more mindful of what comes into our home and what I eat 4- more loving (unplugged) family time 5- pay off a credit card and start on the next  6- have more quality family time It's always great to share to ensure accountability! How about you?? 

I have a great passion for eBooks. Specifically kindle books on my tablet. Lately, I've been reading and finishing 1-2 books a day. Books on minimalism, tiny homes, yoga, meditation, and the list continues to grow.  One of my favourites is called, "Miss Minimalist: Inspiration to downsize, declutter, and simplify". Not only did I find it helpful and inspirational to downsize, declutter and simplify but it changed my outlook on something pretty huge. Let me tell you a story..... I was walking with a friend on a waterfront trail and we stopped to talk to a couple of women. We found out these women were teachers, as was (still is) the friend I was with. We were all talking and smiling. When one of them asked what I did I said, "I work at SuperPet" and the body launguage instantly changed. Both women nodded, stopped smiling and turned away from me, still facing my friend. Another women joined us, friends with the other two and they talked about how they were all tea...

Recently my husband and I came across a documentary on the Tiny Home movement. We are now hooked.  If you are not familiar, it's homes that are small. Real small. Like, usually under 300 SF small. Many are on wheels. So, it's like a combination between a cottage and camper. And it's the ones on wheels that we are interested in. No permits to buy and the only rules to follow are road rules for towing. Working lights on the back, under the required towing weight rated for your vehicle and under 13.5 feet tall.  We now have a 10-year plan. We have a decade and a bit before our daughter finishes school to purge and use up our excess 'stuff', to enjoy our furry family (2 out of 3 furries and all feathered will be gone in that 10-year span) to focus on our daughter, build a tiny home and find and buy land, while reducing debt to enable us to buy said land.  This is a retirement plan, a minimalist plan, a plan to get back to nature and really figure out what our true passi...

Yes, my husband and I continue to wear our pre-vegan clothing that isn't vegan. Apparently, we aren't 'advertising' for vegans, I've been told.  I don't live my life for advertising or other people's opinion of me. MY life is about love. It's about intention. It's about the energy of those things.  If someone was to ask me about my down-filled coat I would tell them how ashamed I am of that coat. And why. I believe it would be a learning experience. I might feel different about a fur or leather coat but I am still vegan and still a good person. Not to mention, there's the cost factor. I can't afford two brand new winter coats, willy nilly.  We considered ourselves vegan from the moment we decided NOT to vote for cruelty, torture, rape and murder of our animal friends, with our money. But, we still ate the animal products we had in the fridge.  Same with clothing. Although I am ashamed that I contributed to it ever, I did....

Yesterday, I was on a facebook vegan group and a few others and I were getting bashed. By other vegans! That's right, it seems that some vegans are into it for the animals and some to feel superior to others. My position is that as long as you are making a conscious effort to NOT harm animals in any way then you are vegan. I still wear my non-vegan clothing from pre-vegan times. The damage has already been done. I voted with my dollars to Hearn animals back when I didn't know better but wearing them NOW doesn't hurt animals NOW.  Some choose to give away or sell the items and that is their choice. It makes no difference to the already harmed animal. They get points for doing their BEST in the moment.  Needless to say, it didn't make me feel any better that holier than thou vegans were against me. Maybe because I thought they were good people and now I was disappointed in them..? Maybe I felt less than..? Who knows but I also had an awful lot of supportive pe...

I am excited to announce my first guest post, my husband!! We get asked all the time to tell our story. I posted the quick version earlier tonight but here is his story... My story Yes, I spent over 20 years in the farming industry (mainly dairy) , I was born and raised in it. I also was raised a trapper in my early years and was an avid hunter as well for about 30 years.  I married a vegetarian 5 years ago, she never forced her views on me just gave insight every now and then. A few years ago I saw a picture of pigs being hauled out of Toronto and people (activists) were giving them water through the holes in the trailer at the Toronto livestock exchange. It was that picture that started it all for me.  I am a heavy construction worker and I mainly work on the highway 401 (longest highway in Ontario).  The same day the picture was taken  there was a bad accident just up from our job site, it was -34c and the traffic was getting backed up to us. I ...

People have often asked for the story of how my family and I went vegan... here is the quick version.  I ate only fish for 13 yrs and no other flesh when I met and married Chris. He hunted when I met him (about 30 yrs) and (dairy) farmed (for 20 years) before meeting me.  I was always in awe of vegans but learned more about the reasons to be vegan through my 13 yrs of being one step from vegetarian, where I originally stopped eating flesh because of the hormones and bleach involved.  Chris stopped eating all flesh,except fish, about 2 yrs ago and all 3 of us have been vegan for 7 mths as of Nov 1st. And will be forever now. For the animals.  

I agree with this post wholeheartedly and admit that I am addicted to be connected. Anyone, who knows me at all, could tell you that I love having an online presence, however, I must add that it IS possible to have a balance.  I journal alone every morning, getting up at least an hour earlier to do so. I also do yoga and meditate, although not nearly as much as I would like to.  For me, in a place where I have never 'fit in' it's a necessity to have online friends around the world. I feel more accepted and less depressed. It's not like I was ever able to go out into my local area and find like-minded friends. And ya, there's an abundance of support online when I find out my Aunt died but thank the gods for that since I am bound to home with a wee child and pets and my spouse is working away from home.  Balance is hard to find. It's rare. It's a minute to minute work in progress. But, that's life. The never-ending attempt at joyful balance.  The pos...

A friend was participating in a Facebook game, which was a certain number (someone else gave her the number) of things about yourself that others may not know. I got 5 and this was my 5th thing: 5. I could 'feel' energies and see/communicate with 'entities' most can't see, since as far back as I can remember. I don't normally talk about it though. I was honoured and blessed to have people make lovely comments and even send me personal messages about this. It was encouraging and I thought I would so some blog posts about it. My intention is to maybe open some eyes about what it's like and help others who have caught a glimpse of their intuitive abilities but either didn't know where to go from there or feel it fading away and would like to keep it 'open'.  First, let me tell you of my first memories of my intuitive abilities. I was maybe 5, living in Cold Lake, Alberta and it had to do with 'imaginary friends' that I could feel, see and he...

I had heard of using baking soda to cure cancer and that using it as toothpaste changes the inside of your mouth to a more optimal PH but after writing my last blog post I found this link, which makes baking soda a super food, in my book.  In a time where just about everything CAUSES cancer to find something that is so ANTI-CANCER.... I think I just found my lifetime staple for body and home care!! And the longer I think about what I read in the link (below) the more uses I find. Toxic cleaning products cause throat and lung cancer (my mom died of a cancerous tumor in her throat-- she was a cleaner) so I will be sure to add baking soda to the homemade spray cleaners I make. Maybe baking soda in the air would make the air more alkalized and therefore healthier...? Something to think about, anyway. :-) Please read the link and comment below. Also, please share to as many people as you can, this information just may save lives.  http://drsircus.com/medicine/sodium-bicarbonate-bak...

As a Holistic Lifestyle Coach, I help to guild people to a more holistic life. Recently, I came across something that I wish I would have known 15 years ago, when I started my search for a natural and cruelty-free deodorant. BAKING SODA AND WATER!!  It's so simple I can't believe I didn't find out until now. Just put a teaspoon of baking soda in your hand, add a little water and rub your hands together and voila, rub on armpits. I found it to last all day and right through to the next day. You also get the added bonus of softer hands.  I already used baking soda for cleaning and toothpaste and now I'm also testing it out in place of shampoo. What a great find!! (Part 2 to follow)

A business I started in 2002, which had grown in leaps and bounds since then, had a major change in the Summer of 2013. I downsized. Big time. I closed the doors to my beloved centre and didn't have a plan. I had no ideas.  The first few months were okay as I continued to teach yoga in local parks and sell holistic products but then came the cold and everything came to a screeching hault. It was awful. I was not at peace with it.  But, then I started reading a new book, which helped. The book is called, "The Greatness Guide"and one  of the things I read that helped me to feel better about my business situation was, " ...just keep innovating. Innovate at work. Innovate at home. Innovate in your relationships. Innovate in the way you run your life. Innovate in terms of the way you see the world. To become stagnant is to begin to die. Growth, evolution and reinvention sustain life."  I still had no ideas but then I read an affirmation that turned everything around ...

I'm doing a Brene Brown/Oprah e-course and love it!! The book is called, "The Gifts of Imperfection". Here's part of today's message:  "Being perfect is about trying to get approval and acceptance. It's about trying to avoid the hurt of being hurt & judged. People try to be perfect because they think it might make them more lovable. But really, being perfect doesn't protect you from being judged, it protects you from being SEEN. The only way to be TRULY loved is to be open and to be seen for who you are - in all your glorious imperfection."  Really makes me think of how I 'hide' my own imperfections. I used to post on Social Media, whatever I was thinking. Doesn't everybody...?  Ummmm..... no, they don't. Apparently, SOME people don't ever have bad days and allow others to walk all over them, because when I would post about MY feelings I was jumped all over and when I held to my boundaries and didn't allow my...

I hate to cook.  Now, I CAN cook, I just REALLY dislike it usually.  Blending.... now that's different!  I thought I would share my creations for today.   Let me start first by showing you one of the new fruit I bought yesterday, it is called persimmon (shown above).  It looks like a tomato but tastes more like a thick-skinned peach. We were going to use it in today's smoothies but we liked it so much that my 6 year old and I couldn't save it and ate all I bought right away. I think we'll have to buy lots more next time! Here is a link for some persimmon facts:  http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/persimmon-fruit.html Today's smoothie... spinach, dragon fruit, apple, aloe vera , blue & blackberries, banana, hemp hearts, ground raw pumpkin seeds and steam distilled water. Another new fruit we tried today was star fruit .  A little tart (should be bright yellow but my daughter (again) couldn't wait)  For lunch I...

In my last post I was feeling like I was treading water in the decisions of my 2014 goals.  A couple hours later I'm feeling a little better, more organized and less overwhelmed at least.  I broke my life up into categories:    Business (PH) Home Body Family Spirit Artistic self Next, what my goals are for 2014 in each category.  The hardest part are my business goals. I've scaled back so much in 2013 that it's somewhat disheartening to think about. However, knowing that the other areas of my life took a backseat for years I just have to let go of my former ambitions.  The most joyful of the categories to think about is family. I am very proud of the energy I have put into family after cutting back on business goals. I get to attend school trips now and help with homework. Such a blessing. Another blessing is finding my artistic self. I used to scrapbook, years ago, before our daughter was born. After scaling back my business I started scrapbooking again, w...

Decisions, decisions. I am a planner and while I don't do 'resolutions' I have planned my yearly goals, for years.  But, this year is different. I've closed my business for the Winter (more than 2 months now) and I still often feel like I'm treading water.  Another difference this year is finding my creative self at the last of 2013. I love adding to my new art journal but to make it part of my yearly goals...?  Am I looking for balance in 2014?? I am not so sure about that. Always struggling with balance, the 2.5 years I had my holistic health centre was a brutal struggle for balance.  What do I know for sure? 2014 is going to be an interesting and creative year.  "A life spent making mistakes is not only honourable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing" --George Bernard Shaw