Sisterhood Spotlight: Meet Lyn Wright. She’s Making it Go Right on Raw Food

Hi!  My name is Lyn and I’m soooo excited to be a part of this group. (I’ve recently come onboard as the new director of the Raw Diva website!)

I’ve been a fan and follower of The Raw Divas site since it first came out.  It has helped me a lot and I love telling others about it.  I love how it’s actually a community and that things are kept FUN!

I’ve been interested in nutrition for a loooong time (yes – I’m old!) because I was very motivated to find a better way to handle my health problems.

I didn’t get off to a very good start.

As a toddler I had severe asthma which also led to catching anything that came along.  My mom was a chain smoker but no one back in the 50’s thought to tell her not to smoke around me!

For fear that I’d miss too much school, my doctor put me on ‘desensitizing shots’.  This seemed to stop the asthma during Read more »

Full Moon, High Tide, PMS and Green Smoothies!

- by Doll Creelman

As the northern hemisphere is reaching for the full moon, my body is playing tricks on me!

I’m craving chocolate and salt; ice cream and pastries.  Now, I’m not totally raw in my dietary choices, but I do manage to create a green smoothie most days.

Add to this the high tides (which are pulled by the moon of course) and the pre-menopausal PMS that has made its home inside of me for a while, then you might just say…

I’m facing a crisis!

Read more »

Ha! Who Needs Prozac?!

- by Kate Nicholson

And still the compliments keep rolling in…My youngest daughter said to me the other day, “It’s so great to talk to you Mum; you’re so full of life and happiness.”  This, about a woman who was quietly, deeply depressed and listless for many, many years while eating the S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) way.  Raw has changed my life around. I love raw!

My latest bouncing-with-vitality concoction involves the use of Tahini. And chocolate. The sesame seeds in Tahini contain magnesium, which, according to http://www.whfoods.com, helps to restore normal sleep patterns, particularly in women going through the peri/menopause. The calcium they contain is good for PMS symptoms.

And chocolate! Well, we all know chocolate’s many benefits (in moderation, naturally…). For me, it’s definitely a mood lifter. I sparkle after a teaspoon of raw cacao.

So, it makes sense to me that if I need a natural mood booster, I should put these together in my favourite food format – the green smoothie!  I’d choose a type of green leafy veg that has a mild taste for this smoothie. Pak choi (or Bok Choy, depending on where you live) works well, as does Romaine lettuce.  Http://www.sixwise.com has a list of nine uncommon greens, and states that Bok Choy is good for preventing cancer, cataracts and fighting free-radicals, and Romaine supports normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels. So take your pick depending on your taste or family medical history! I tend to stick with Romaine, only because it’s easy to get organic locally.

Now… here’s what you’ve all been waiting for!

The Va-Va-Voom Vitality Booster

• 1 large or 2 small bananas
• 2 Tbsp raw Tahini
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 heaped tsp raw cacao powder
• 1-2 large handfuls of the greens of your choice
• Agave to taste.

Whizz up in the blender and then prepare to dance your way through the day!

Retrieved January 25, 2010 from: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=84

Retrieved January 25, 2010 from: http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/07/04/04/nine-uncommon-green-leafy-vegetables-worth-trying.htm

Starting School

Here in Australia, it’s the start of the new school year.

My little babies, my darling, precious babies, have let go of my hand and taken their first steps into school life. They began “Prep” on Monday.

They’re doing OK. They’re adjusting. I’m doing OK. I’m adjusting.

I just thank the universe that they have each other, and that we organized for them to be in the same class for this first year. They completed quite a few Prep Transition sessions last year, so they were familiar with the classrooms, the teachers and many of the other children (why didn’t they have that sort of system in place when I started school?!). We’ve also chosen a brilliant school for them, a school with just under 300 children and with a real sense of community. Parents are highly involved in school life.

The first morning was filled with a sense of “calm excitement” – you know what I mean? They dressed themselves, with a bit of help from Mum and Dad when it came to tying the laces on their black leather school shoes. They looked SO smart in their uniforms. So grown-up. I tied back their hair, careful to use different colored hairclips and ribbons so that their teacher could at least take a punt at working out which identical twin was which.

We took photo after photo, helped pack their snacks (no lunch – only a half-day) and water bottles into their school bags, chatted with proud neighbors and passers-by who could tell it was their first day, and then drove the 15 minutes or so to the school (we’re planning on moving closer to the school, so that it can be a 15-minute walk instead of a drive). I flicked on the video camera every now and then, capturing the excitement in their beautiful little faces as we wound around the streets to their school.

They took off their hats, hung up their bags, and gave us each big, brave hugs. They lined up with their classmates, standing head and shoulders above all but a couple of tall boys. A little boy next to Evie started crying, rubbing his fist into his eye to wipe away the tears. I thought for sure that would set Evie off, but she was OK. She just gripped Bella’s hand even tighter.

Parents were allowed to go in for a little while, to make sure their little ones settled in OK. We went in, being the overanxious parents that we are, and were relieved to see the girls start tackling puzzles and looking around the room confidently, taking it all in.

Darren and I waved goodbye and headed towards the door, watching them for a little while longer before we stepped outside. Tears pricked at my eyes as I felt the enormity of the moment. I put on my sunglasses and let the slow tears fall. This is it. They really are at school. We went and had coffee at a nearby park, looking at our photos and going through every detail of the morning – and hoping that our girls were doing OK. Thank goodness Darren was there with me for that first morning. (And, yup, the girls were OK!) I also felt a tiny thrill at the thought of the “freedom” unfolding before me, with all those school hours to fill (hmm, where would I start?)!

I feel privileged that I’m able to be here for the girls after school hours, so that they have a “soft place to fall” after the extroversion of each busy day at school. And I’m SO looking forward to watching them continue to blossom and grow. But I also have the bonus of being able to start spending time on projects that allow me to spread my wings. Aren’t I just one lucky mama?

So, this is it. Life as we know it has changed. Yes, yes, I know it keeps changing, and I know we were all ready for it, but I think it’s OK to grieve – just a little – for the pre-school life that I enjoyed so much with my little girls (she says, wiping away another tear).

You could say it was a day of mixed emotions… Could I have a hanky, please?